


Once More, With Feeling!

by TicklyFandoms



Category: Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Character Death, Fights, Gang War, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, Tickling, also like one, but it's not a major one, college au as well I guess, dance au, drama happens, get ready to board the angst train, lots of cliffhangers, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-09-29 20:19:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 63,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10143212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TicklyFandoms/pseuds/TicklyFandoms
Summary: Mahiru did not think that his new year as a dance major would take such a turn as it did. When he meets Kuro, another dance major that lost his will to enjoy dancing, Mahiru takes it upon himself to help the other get to love dancing again as they're paired as partners. But learning about Kuro's dark past was also not apart of his plan.





	1. Mahiru's First Day

It was the beginning of another year for the students of C3 University. The courtyard was buzzing with blasting radios, yelling college students, and just all kinds of cheerful activities. The new students of the college stuck around by themselves, curiously glancing around, while the other students met up with their friends, talking about all sorts of things, and sometimes helping out the new students to find their classes and dorms. One of those students however, was a young male student, named Mahiru. He honestly knew the college grounds already, so all the teen did was look at the front board on the courtyard that showed different activities, and since he had a dance major, the boy was looking for some good opportunities to get better at what he loved to do. 

“Mahiru! Look at this!” a blond teen yelled, wrapped his arms around the brunet’s shoulders, startling the boy. Glaring lightly at his friend, who was named Ryuusei, Mahiru sighed, and looked at the sheet up paper the male was holding close to his face. It was a flyer for a band, and they were looking for a drummer. Smiling, Mahiru looked at his friend, and saw how excited he was. “Should I try out for it?”

“Yeah, you should! Who knows, maybe if you make it, you can come up with some beats for me to dance to,” Mahiru grinned, and Ryuusei shook the other excitingly. Laughing, Mahiru shoved the other off, and turned to glance around the campus. Everyone looked so happy, and upbeat. Noticing Sakuya and Koyuki making their way towards them, Mahiru raised his arms, and shouted at them. “Guys, over here!”

“Mahiru!” Sakuya yelled out, pulling a shocked Koyuki with him. Once they were all together, the brunet listened to their plans. Sakuya was an acting major, and apparently, there were some really odd people in his classes, and one of them had an odd and irritating laugh. Giggling at the sound of that, Mahiru zoned in on Koyuki, who was sort of in the fashion major, and listened as the boy mumbled about possibly making clothes for if Mahiru wanted anything to dance easy in. Nodding at the idea, Mahiru thanked him, before Sakuya drew him closer to him. “So, Ma-Hi-Ru…have you found anything fun to join in on?”

Humming slightly, the brunet shook his head, and just zoned out as his friends went on about their own festivities. Glancing around again, Mahiru watched everyone having fun, before his eyes droned in on another boy, who was sitting underneath a tree, almost like he was sleeping. Blinking, Mahiru slowly detached from under Sakuya’s arm, and walked towards the boy, however before he could make it, someone yelled something like, ‘shitty rat,’ and another blond boy ran into the brunet. Feeling his instinct fire up, Mahiru turned the blond teen, and danced on his hands until he was back on his feet. Hearing the body hit the ground, Mahiru straightened himself up, and glanced down at the teen below him.

“Hey! Are you okay? What happened?!” Mahiru yelped, holding out his hand. Glancing at the brunet, the blond teen gave him a grin, and suddenly stood up fast, holding the back of his hand against his forehead in a dramatic fashion. Blinking, Mahiru stared at the blond, and when red eyes met his own chestnut brown, he swallowed nervously. What was with the air around this guy? Hearing pounding feet, Mahiru turned his gaze towards another charging teen, and was almost literally shoved out of the way as the raging boy kicked the blond again, sending them both flying. Stumbling backwards, Mahiru wobbled, before tripping over someone’s feet, and falling. Hearing another groan as he fell on his back, the brunet slowly leaned back up, and came face to face with the sleepy teen. Blinking, Mahiru took in his light blue hair, and his face features. There were dark bags underneath his eyes. Swallowing, Mahiru stood back up fast, and stuttered out an apology. “W-whoa! I’m sorry, I was sort of shoved? Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“What a pain…” the boy muttered out, sluggishly standing up. Mahiru blinked owlishly at his response, before straightening himself up. This dude sort of had the same air as the blond who was still running away from the teen with the angel backpack. Scratching the back of his head, Mahiru stared at their shoes, not really knowing what to say, and since the boy basically rudely responded to his apology, Mahiru knew this was one person he really didn’t want to encounter again. “You know…for someone who is kind of light on his feet, you’re pretty clumsy…”

“Excuse me?!” Mahiru growled out, narrowing his eyes to glare at the other teen, who was staring at him boringly. Seeing him yawn, Mahiru felt his blood pressure raise. What the hell was wrong with this dude? Growling, Mahiru rolled his shoulders back, and crossed his arms. He was not going to take that from some lazy looking neet teenager. Huffing, the teen rolled his eyes, and turned his back on the sleepy boy. He had better things to do, like get to class. His break dancing/ hip-hop class was starting soon. “You know what? Whatever. Like I care what you say.”

Blinking at the brunet’s response, the tired teen watched as the younger teen walked away from him, and towards a group of boys who were watching their confrontation. Seeing them talking, he noticed the one with the clowny green hair mentioned his name. Kuro. Rolling his eyes, Kuro yawned again, and slowly pulled his messenger bag back around his shoulders. That teen was right though. It’s not like they were going to see each other again. Sighing, Kuro glanced back towards the direction they disappeared to, before making his way towards his next class. He just knew that this was going to be a bother…what a pain.

\-----------------------------------

As one pm struck, Mahiru quickly made his way towards his class, feeling excited for what’s going to happen. Seeing the numbers 207 on the one door, Mahiru took a deep breath, and opened the door. There wasn’t a lot of people in the room just yet, but since class was still just getting started, it didn’t bother him. Glancing around for a free spot to set down his bag, the happy brunet took the one near one of the open windows, and glanced out of it. It was a beautiful day. Hearing the door close, Mahiru turned his attention towards the front of the room as the teacher made themselves known. 

“Good morning my pupils, welcome to your first dance class of the year!” the happy go lucky teacher exclaimed. Mahiru smiled at his cheerfulness, while some other students snickered. Nodding at the responses he got, the teacher observed his students, and crossed his arms. He honestly had more of them last year, but whatever, he still had a good amount enough for their training. Nodding some more, the teacher hummed, and turned towards the white board. Drawing a few squares, that meant dancing space, he took a piece of paper out of his pocket, and unfolded it. “Okay, we are going to take it easy for a little while. This dance style requires team work and for everyone to be in sync with each other. And to do that, I will be pairing you guys up with partners to dance with. You can and will not complain on who you’re with, got that?”

Seeing their nods, the teacher smiled, satisfied, before beginning to read of the names of the pairings. Mahiru listened silently, and when he heard his name, he raised his hand. He was paired with someone named…Sleepy-Ash? What kind of name was that. Hearing a bored sigh, Mahiru turned around, assuming it was his partner, but when he came in contact with Kuro, he felt his eyes widen. Kuro looked over Mahiru, and groaned. Oh hell no.

“Not you!” Mahiru exclaimed loudly, gaining the attention of the teacher. Swallowing, the brunet smiled at him, and turned back towards the yawning blue haired teen. This could not be happening. Feeling his anger vein pop in his head, Mahiru just knew that with Kuro, aka the most laziest dancer ever, as his partner, he wasn’t going to get anywhere. Blowing out a sigh, Mahiru crossed his arms, and stared at Kuro. “Okay…why are you here? Ya know dancing requires moving, right?”

“I know…I guess I used to like it…but now it’s such a drag,” Kuro complained, glancing around the room, watching the other students smiling at their partners. It looked like they were going to get along, but since he was paired with his polar opposite, he also knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Glancing back at the frustrated brunet, Kuro observed the teen’s body up and down. He was small, skinny, and from what he saw in the courtyard, really light on his feet and confident. All the things Kuro wasn’t. Sure, he was skinny, but he was slow, and just as clumsy…not to mention he wasn’t exactly confident in his skills. “We can’t change, so let’s just deal with it…I don’t want this to be more of a drag then what it is already.”

Biting his lip, Mahiru let out a sigh, and dropped his arms to his side. Even though he didn’t like the idea of working with a neet of a dancer, the teacher told them that they could not switch. Which means, they would have to learn how to get along, even if they didn’t want to. Like Kuro had said, this was going to be a drag. Glancing around, Mahiru noticed everyone was sitting, and talking, which means that him and Kuro should be doing it too, and maybe they could get along better…hopefully. Nodding to himself, the brunet slowly sat down and crossed his legs. Kuro glanced down, and sighed, sitting down as well. Looking at their shoes, Kuro wished that the next two hours would go fast, but knowing his luck, it wouldn’t happen.

“So…why do you think dancing is a drag now?” Mahiru asked, trying to make conversation. Kuro glanced at him, and Mahiru felt a cold shiver go up his spine. The look he received just from asking a simple question was not a good sign. Letting a little cough out, Mahiru dropped that question, and pursed his lips. Kuro obviously did not want to talk about his past…maybe it would be simpler if Mahiru brought his up. Clearing his throat, the brunet sighed, and gained the lazy teen’s attention. “Obviously, you don’t want to talk about yourself. So, I will tell you about myself…I guess. What do you want to know?”

“Hmm…why are you so uptight?” Kuro muttered, and Mahiru blanked. He was really trying to get on his last nerve wasn’t he. Glaring at the frowning teen, the brunet rolled his eyes, and tapped at his shoes. Hearing this, Kuro groaned, knowing Mahiru was not going to answer. What could he ask that wouldn’t get on the boy’s nerves? Glancing around, Kuro tried to listen to the other conversations, but since everyone was talking at once, he couldn’t pick a single thing out that made sense to him. Letting his eyes land on Mahiru again, he noticed the boy looked a little bored. He wasn’t the only one. Why did they have to learn about each other to dance? “Okay…um…what do you like about…um…dancing?”

“Hmm? Well…I guess I like the way it feels to let myself be free. When I’m dancing, it feels like nothing else matters, and that I don’t have to worry about anything for a while until the dance ends…ya know?” Mahiru explained, flushing slightly when he felt like he got pretty deep in his answer. Kuro nodded slightly. He sort of knew what Mahiru meant, even though dancing was a bother, before…it would help him feel free as well. “O-okay…my turn! What is your favorite dance move?”

Thinking, Kuro nodded slightly, and stood up. Mahiru blinked, and watched as Kuro sluggishly stretched out his legs, before he suddenly did two spins and a small backflip. Feeling his jaw drop, the brunet watched as Kuro’s eyes slipped shut, as his body relaxed and his hips swayed to some hidden melody in his head. Noticing other people starting to watch, Mahiru shut his mouth, and swallowed the lump in his throat. Suddenly hearing the quiet whispers, Kuro’s eyes shot open, and he glanced around with a sudden frantic look. Looking down at Mahiru, Kuro quickly sat back down, with his knees to his chest, and the brunet frowned as he noticed that the other would not meet his eyes anymore. Determined, Mahiru stood up, making Kuro flinch lightly as he glanced up at the teen. Staring down at the other, the brunet lifted his chin, and did a flip, balancing on his hands as he spun his body around in smooth movements. Kuro watched as the teen spun five times, before stopping, and balancing himself on one hand with his legs sprayed open. All the time he did that, Kuro noticed that Mahiru did not take his eyes off him.

“Are you done?” Kuro growled, feeling a little irritated for some reason. Hearing the agitated tone he used, Mahiru lost his rhythm, and carefully slid down until he was back on his rump. Feeling the tense air, the teen swallowed uneasily. What was wrong? Did he show off too much? What did he do? Biting his lip, Mahiru slowly slid a little closer, and when Kuro noticed this, he let out a low growl, and stood up. Mahiru looked at him, starting to feel a little irritated as well. Kuro glared down at him, and gathered his messenger bag. Watching him completely ignore the teacher, Mahiru stood up as well, and tensed his fists. Stopping at the door, Kuro turned to glare at him, which stopped the teen in his tracks. “Don’t even think about it…I really don’t want to be here or be the partner of a show off who actually enjoys this. Dancing is a drag, and I’m done for the day.”

Clenching his fists, Mahiru just stayed silent, and watched as Kuro walked out of the room, slamming the door as he left. Feeling the irritation drain out of him, Mahiru glanced at his teacher, who was glancing at him with worry. Smiling softly, Mahiru gathered his bag, and slowly walked up to the adult. Glancing down at their shoes with an anxious expression, Mahiru glanced up at the other when a gentle hand landed on his shoulder, and squeezed. 

“Mahiru…there is a reason why I paired you with Kuro,” the teacher sighed, drawing his hand back as he looked over Kuro’s profile from the school. Mahiru blinked, feeling confused, and the teacher chuckled softly. Reading it over again, the teacher muttered something, before glancing back down at the nervous brunet. “He was always like that. He truly loves dancing, trust me he does. He has greatly potential, and I can just tell that he wants to…but...you need to help him overcome that something that stopped him from enjoying it. Do you think you can help him, Mahiru?”

“S-something happened to him? A-are you sure that I can help?” Mahiru asked, stuffing his hands into his pocket. Did he really have the stuff to make that neet teenager love dancing again? Sure, Kuro had potential, and the brunet could tell that he still loved dancing…but what made him look so scared like he did? Seeing the thoughts going through the brunet’s head, the teacher sighed, and patted the other’s shoulder again, gaining Mahiru’s attention. Thinking about it, Mahiru knew it would be more simple if it was him to do it, since they were partners, and he knew that no one else would. Making his mind, Mahiru glanced back up at the adult, who saw the sparkle of determination in his eyes. “You’re right. I will do it. It’s the most simplest way! Thanks sir! I will work into him and help him love dancing again! I know I can!”

Smiling at the answer, the teacher nodded, and jumped slightly when the bell that indicated the class ended run. Blinking in shock, Mahiru looked at the time, and noticed it was time to leave already. Glancing at the teacher again, the teen nodded, and quickly pulled his bag up more against his shoulder, and fled out of the room. Watching the teen leave, the teacher sighed, and leaned against the white board. If what he thinks could work, those two are going to be the best duo in the whole dance class…but if he’s wrong, then…this would not end up well for their dance class. Shaking his head, the teacher cleaned off the white board, and began to get ready for the next class.

\-------------------------

As Mahiru made his way back out towards the courtyard, and towards his dorm, he became aware of how silent it was now that everyone was in their dorms, and in their classes. Frowning, the teen cuddled his bag up more, and tracked across the old looking pavement, making his way towards his dorm. Glancing at the sky, the teen watched as some birds flew by, tweeting happily. Smiling softly, Mahiru watched them dance across the sky, and when they disappeared, the teen focused back on his walk. If what Sakuya said was true, it had a dormmate to meet. He literally had no idea who it was either. In all honesty, Mahiru hoped they would get along, since they’ll be living together for a while, and maybe even grow closer to become like best friends or something. Grinning, Mahiru felt his mood improve greatly, so he decided to quickly make his way there faster, and with one last glance at the bright blue sky, the teen jogged towards the dorm areas for the students.

“Okay…so room 118…there it is!” Mahiru exclaimed, once he made it to his room. Taking a deep breath, Mahiru put his hand on the door knob, and silently opened the door. Stepping inside, the brunet noticed a pair of shoes thrown carelessly near the door, and huffed slightly. Slipping his own off, the teen straightened his, and his new roommate’s up, making sure they were neat, before placing his bag next to his shoes. Stepping further in, Mahiru looked around, and so far, he liked what he saw. Hearing footsteps making their way towards him, Mahiru stopped, and went to say hello, but when he came face to face with no other than Kuro, the words he was about to say just fell from his thoughts. “K-Kuro…you’re my dormmate? W-what…”

“Oh no…not you,” Kuro groaned, slipping his hands in his superman pajama bottom pockets. Staring at the pants, Mahiru held back a sarcastic response, and just kept silent as Kuro stared him down. Huffing, the younger teen stepped further in, and brushed past the tense Kuro, who watched him, and after a minute followed him in as well. Now in the lounge of the dorm, Mahiru looked around the room, and noticed the mess Kuro made. Empty potato chip bags laid around the couch, along with empty coke bottles, and empty cups of microwaveable ramen. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Mahiru kept his mouth shut, and just turned to look at the glaring teen. “What? All because your sharing the dorm with me doesn’t mean I have to change, if you don’t like it, you do something about it…I’m going to take a nap.”

Seeing Kuro leave towards his room, Mahiru glanced at the mess again, and sighed. Walking into the kitchen, the brunet searched around for some garbage bags, and after a minute, he found them. Shaking the bag open, Mahiru walked back out towards the lounge, and began to pick up the mess the other left. Once the floor and the couch was clean, Mahiru tossed the garbage in the bin, and slowly strolled towards his room. Passing Kuro’s room, Mahiru literally did not hear anything but some low snoring. Rolling his eyes, the teen continued walking until he made it to his room. Once inside, Mahiru stripped out of his clothes, and shrugged on one of his midriff shirts, with a pair of light grey jogging pants that wrapped around his ankle nicely. Stretching, the teen fell back first against his bed. Staring at the ceiling, Mahiru closed his eyes, and went over all the things that happened during the day. Getting to see his old friends, getting into an awesome dance class, and meeting the most irritating neet of a teenager that was now his dormmate. Yawning, Mahiru rolled over on the bed, and slowly covered himself up.

“I don’t have the energy to do anything else today…” Mahiru whispered, feeling the beginning of sleep tugging on his consciousness. Letting his eyes slip shut, Mahiru gave one last yawn before sleep overtook him, and silence fell across the dorm.


	2. Where Art Thou?!

As the sun rose, and the birds started singing their songs, Mahiru was the first to wake, since he was basically already a natural morning person. Opening his eyes, the teen shut them again, the sunlight that was peeking through his curtain hurt his eyes. Flickering them open again, the boy yawned, before sitting up and stretching. Feeling his bones crack, Mahiru rubbed his eyes, and glanced at his alarm clock. It currently said eight am. Letting out another yawn, Mahiru pulled the covers off himself, and slowly walked over to the window to pull open the curtains. Another beautiful day. Smiling softly, the teen quietly stepped towards the door of his room, and opened it. It was obviously still quiet in the dorm, which means Kuro was still sleeping. Thinking of the other boy, Mahiru rolled his eyes, and stepped out into the hallway. Breakfast was not going to make itself.

“I wonder what Kuro put in the fridge,” Mahiru thought to himself, as he made his way silently to the kitchen. Opening the stainless-steel fridge, the boy froze as he took in all the food that was in the appliance. Blinking, the brunet rubbed his eyes, thinking he was dreaming, but when it was still there when he stopped, Mahiru knew it wasn’t a dream. For an neet teenager, Kuro sure does know how to pack a fridge. Taking out some eggs, milk, the butter, and some orange juice, Mahiru shut the door, and placed them on the white counters. Glancing around the cabinets, the teen wondered where the spices, and vegetables were. “Well, time to look.”

Once everything was found, Mahiru carefully grabbed a butcher’s knife, and began chopping vegetables as the frying pan with butter began to heat up. Once the vegetables were cut finely, Mahiru cracked some eggs in a bowl, added some milk, and began beating the ingredients together, obviously making an omelet for the two. Even though Mahiru didn’t really care for Kuro, he wasn’t just going to make breakfast for himself, that was not the way he was taught. As the eggs were finally ready, the teen gently poured the mixed ingredients and vegetables in the hot pan, and watched as the yellow speckled liquid began to bubble and solidify. Noticing the omelet was ready to flip, Mahiru steadied his fingers on the pan’s handle, and flipped the food with ease.

“Still got it,” the brunet whispered to himself, as he got out some plates for the two teens in the dorm. When the first omelet was done, Mahiru easily slipped the food onto the plate, and began to make the second one. Before he knew it, the small clock in the kitchen struck nine-thirty, and he heard Kuro’s door open. Not even glancing back, Mahiru flipped the omelet, and became aware of the other’s footsteps making their way towards him. Turning around slightly, Mahiru gave the other a small smile, and slid the second omelet on the plate for Kuro. “Breakfast is ready!”

“O-oh…thanks…” the teen mumbled, glancing away from Mahiru’s form to the food the other teen slid in front of him on the table. Sitting down, Kuro tried to shake his old thoughts away as he watched the brunet pour them glasses of orange juice, before joining him at the table. Luckily, Mahiru’s midriff was covered when he sat down, so now Kuro didn’t need to look. He really did not want to be caught staring at the other…even though…he did have sort of a nice body. Flushing from the thoughts again, Kuro quickly grabbed the fork the other gave him, and dug into his breakfast. When spices and fresh vegetables touched his tongue, the teen’s eyes dilated, and he licked his lips. “O-oh…um…this is good.”

Hearing the compliment, Mahiru flushed slightly, and smiled down at his own food. Staring at the other’s face, Kuro cleared his throat, and took a sip of the cold orange juice. It was mostly silent while they ate, only occasionally asking each other to pass something. Once they were done, Mahiru stood up, and kindly took his and Kuro’s plates to the sink. Standing up as well, Kuro left the chair out, instead of pushing it in, and made his way towards the lounge. There was an anime on that was calling his name. Turning around, Mahiru noticed Kuro’s chair wasn’t pushed in, and he huffed. Shoving it in himself, with his hip, the boy rolled his eyes as he heard the television running, playing some kind of anime opening. Of course, the other had to watch TV. Since there were no classes for them today, what else was the lazy neet going to do?

“Kuro…do you want to take a walk with me?” Mahiru sighed out, walking into the lounge to see Kuro on his back, watching the show with a bored expression. Watching at those mysterious red eyes glanced at him with boredom, the brunet actually thought the older teen would say yes, but when a groan was all he gave him, Mahiru felt his eye twitch. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Mahiru took a deep breath, and placed his hands on his hips. Kuro was obviously ignoring his presence now. Tensing his jaw, the brunet walked in front of the TV, so that Kuro could not watch it. “Come on Kuro. We need to do something together so we can get along better. We’re partners in the same class, and the teacher told us we need to get along in order to be more in sync with each other when he dance. Besides…since we’re dormmates, thinking simply, it’s much more simpler if we’re friends!”

Staring at the irritated expression the brunet was giving him, Kuro slowly sat up, and sighed. Why did he have to be paired with the most irritating and mom-like person in the whole school. Scratching the back of his head, Kuro glanced back up at the huffing teen. He really did not want to do this. Getting close to someone was dangerous. Didn’t that stupid teacher already know about him? So why in the hell did he pair him up with someone?! Shaking the bothersome thoughts from his head, Kuro gave another breathy sigh, before hesitantly nodding. He didn’t like it…but he guessed Mahiru had a point. 

“How troublesome…but fine…” Kuro muttered out, watching as Mahiru’s expression relaxed. Nodding at the answer, the brunet sat down next to the blue haired teen, and crossed his legs. Kuro turned off the television, and did the same, and soon, both teens were surrounded by silence. Staring each other down, the older teen could not believe how awkward he felt. All they were doing were staring at each other, and it felt like there were a thousand tons of weight on his chest. “So, what did you have in mind then, Mahi-Mahi?”

“W-what! D-don’t call me that! It’s Mahiru!” the brunet yelped out, bristling. Kuro blinked at the shocked tone the other used, before a sudden thought about how much Mahiru looked like a bird when he got defensive. Glancing away, rubbed his eyes as he tried to hold in a chuckle at the thought. Settling down, Mahiru let out a sigh, and rolled his eyes. Kuro glanced at him, and saw the teen mumbling something, before he met his red eyes again. “Whatever. What I was thinking was asking each other questions that we can both answer. Something like twenty questions! It’s a good way we can get to know each other. Let’s start simple! What’s your favorite color? Mine’s orange!”

Staring at him, Kuro bit the inside of his cheek. What is with this teen? And why did he look so happy about using twenty questions just to learn about each other? Was he that much of a child? Shaking his head, the teen sighed, and thought about the question Mahiru asked him. What was his favorite color? He liked black…but there was also blue. This was so bothersome. Glancing back at Mahiru, who was waiting patiently as he stared at him, Kuro bit his lip, and sighed gently.

“It’s blue…my favorite color is blue,” the teen mumbled, and when the brunet smiled bright at his answer, Kuro looked away, feeling a blush rise on his cheeks. Why was he suddenly blushing all the time? Seeing the small flush on Kuro’s cheeks, Mahiru frowned slightly. Did he do something wrong? Noticing Kuro looking at him again, stashed the thought away from his mind, as he watched the older teen make up his mind on his own question. “Okay…um…can you speak different any other language besides English?”

“Oh! Y-yeah! I am fluent in Japanese! I used to visit Japan all the time to see my uncle who works there!” Mahiru excitingly exclaimed with shining chestnut eyes. Kuro blinked owlishly as the usually mother like teen began to babble on and on about his adventures with his uncle. Seeing Kuro’s sudden shocked expression, Mahiru flushed darkly as he realized he was rambling, and with a cough, the brunet rubbed the back his head bashfully. “S-sorry about…um…my uncle means a lot to me. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I would be here and enjoying dancing so much. Anyways…what’s your favorite song?”

“Favorite song? Um…I guess it’s Deal With…by OLDCODEX,” Kuro sighed out, like it was a bother to just think of something he likes. Scrunching his nose up slightly at the choice, Mahiru looked over the other again, and he guessed that style matched Kuro. Noticing the slightly odd look the other gave him, Kuro tensed slightly, and tensed his fists together. Why’d he ask if he was just going to judge him for his tastes? “Okay...what about yours then?”

“I guess mine is Sunlight Avenue, by Terashima Takuma…I really like the beat it has and the sunny feel you get to it when you listen to it,” Mahiru chuckled out, not noticing the inner turmoil Kuro was feeling. Rolling his eyes, Kuro could not believe how much the teen’s own choice matched him. Noticing the eye roll, Mahiru frowned. Now what? “Okay…what’s wrong? Why the attitude?” 

Hearing the motherly tone, Kuro felt the slight twinge of irritation fly through him. Glaring at the teen, Kuro decided he had enough with this stupid twenty questions game. It was more annoying than anything. Growling, the older male stood up, and tried to walk away, but when he heard the brunet get up, and a hand wrap around his own wrist, Kuro stopped, and his blood ran stone cold at the feeling of someone else touching him. Tearing his arm away from Mahiru’s grasp, Kuro turned around on the teen, and stood over the shorter teen. Mahiru felt a slight bolt of anxiety wash through him, but returned the glare, and stood his ground. 

“Nothing is my problem. It’s all yours! Can’t you see that I want nothing to do with this?! I didn’t ask to be put as a duo. I didn’t ask to become you dormmate. The only thing here wrong is you!” Kuro growled, and Mahiru swallowed the sudden lump in his throat as the boy’s malicious tone got deeper as his anger rose. Not to mention the air around the usually lazy teen began to shift again, like the first time he met him by the tree. Backing down slightly, Mahiru hoped that if Kuro noticed him backing down, he would stop being so angry, but when Kuro noticed him backing away, he just chased after him. “You have no right trying to get me to open up. What if I don’t want to get to know you, and what makes you think I want to become friends with you? I don’t need someone one year younger then me telling me how to live my life.”

“I-I’m just trying to look after you! And I want to be friends with you!” Mahiru argued back, clenching his fists until they were pale against his sides. Why didn’t Kuro see that all he was trying to do is care in his own way? What was wrong with caring about someone? “What’s wrong with acting like I care?!”

“Just don’t…I don’t need you acting motherly. I don’t need it,” Kuro grounded out, finally stepping away from the frustrated Mahiru. He really did not want to fight anymore. Fighting was irritating and just plain out bothersome. Turning his back on the now silent teen, Kuro gave him one last heated look, before making his way tensely to his room. Swallowing, Mahiru glanced down at his bare feet, before looking up again when Kuro’s pounding footsteps stopped. “I’m done.”

Wincing at the door slamming to the other’s room, Mahiru glanced around the silent dorm again. He literally had no idea what caused Kuro to lose it the way he did. How was he going to close to him, and how were they going to be partners if Kuro wouldn’t let him know anything about him? Shaking his head, Mahiru noticed the floor looked a little blurry, so he rubbed his eyes. Blinking, the brunet found himself crying. Sniffing, the teen rubbed his eyes some more, before jogging over to the entrance of the dorm. Slipping on his light spring jacket and sandals, Mahiru quickly left their shared area before Kuro can get the satisfaction of hearing him cry. Hearing the door of their dorm shut, Kuro smacked the back of his head against his bedroom door, and cursed.

“Why did I do that…he was just curious…” Kuro growled to himself, pulling out his hair slightly. Closing his eyes, the teen brought his knees to his chest, and pressed his face into them. Seeing how happy the teen was when he was talking about his uncle made Kuro want to be happy too. But…why was he talking about his uncle, and not his parents. Why was Mahiru so motherly? Clenching his toes, Kuro groaned into his knees, and cursed himself. “Great…now I am curious about him…what the hell…”

Getting tired of thinking about Mahiru, and just thinking about everything in general, Kuro grumbled to himself as he got up, and sluggishly made his way towards his unmade bed. Falling belly first on it, the grumbling teen sighed, and shoved his face into the pillows. Opening his eyes one last time, Kuro took in the dark room. The curtains were still drawn closed, not allowing the sun in at all, there was garbage all over his floor, and magazines and game cartridges were thrown everywhere as well. Turning until his back faced the entire dark room, Kuro slammed his eyes shut, and fell into an uneasy sleep.

\------------------------------

As Mahiru left the C3 campus, he sniffed, and rubbed his nose on his arm. It’s been a few minutes since the teen had stopped his tears, but that didn’t help the way his eyes felt raw. Shaking his head, Mahiru stuffed his hands into his pockets, and glanced around. It was still early, so maybe he could head to his favorite coffee shop, who knows, maybe Tetsu and Misono are working. Getting a small smile on his face, the teen sniffed again, and slowly crossed the street. He knew that talking to them would make him feel better, and who knows, maybe Lilly could give him some advice. The brunet was so into his thoughts that when he finally made it to the café his friends worked at, he glanced at the door in shock. Letting out a hefty sigh, the teen glanced at the door, and opened it.

“Welcome! Oh, hey Mahiru…are you okay?” someone asked, and Mahiru glanced up to see the blond hair of Testu. Smiling sadly at the younger boy, Mahiru sighed, and sat down at one of the small booths. Looking over the upset teen, Testu frowned, before walking over towards the counter. He already knew the brunet’s order, so he just wrote it down, and handed it to a smaller boy with dark purple hair. “Hey Shorty…Mahiru’s here…and he doesn’t look very happy. I think something happened.”

“Don’t call me that!” the boy snapped out, looking over Mahiru’s order, before calling it out to another blond. The other blond nodded, and glanced at the upset brunet with caring red eyes. Misono did the same from over the counter, and sighed. It really did look like something was on the motherly teen’s mind. Once Mahiru’s coffee was done, the smaller teen sighed, and handed it to Testu, and walked with the other towards Mahiru’s booth. Seeing the vanilla cappuccino being placed down in front of him, Mahiru glanced up when Testu and the boy sat in the booths parallel of his. “Did something happen Mahiru? What’s wrong.”

“Hey Tetsu…Hi Misono…Is Lilly joining us? I think I need his advice too,” the teen sighed, blowing carefully on his hot beverage before taking a sip of it. Right as he put it back down, the taller blond made an appearance, and sat down right next to him. Although being known to strip on serious moments, Lilly seemed to know that it wasn’t those kind of moments, so he resisted the urge to show some skin. Mahiru smiled sadly at them, and sighed, glancing down to look at the creamy looking form in his drink. “Yeah…you could say something happened. You guys know how I got into a dance major at C3 University, right? Well, I got a dormmate now too. He’s nothing like I thought he would be. We’re like polar opposites. I don’t know what happened, but we just got into a fight…and I don’t know…do you guys think he hates me?”

“Aw, Mahiru,” Lilly hummed sadly, patting the teen’s back. Mahiru sighed again, and took another sip of the now cooled cappuccino. Misono observed the way the dejected teen moved. Everything just screamed, ‘I’ve been through shit.’ Tetsu seemed to realize this too, because the boy was awful quiet. Lilly put his hand on his chin, and gave the upset brunet a worried look. “Now Mahiru...I don’t think he hates you, after all, you guys just met, right? What’s his name?”

“Kuro…his name is Kuro,” the teen sighed, finishing the last of the beverage he got. Handing Misono some money, the teen nodded, and slid out of the booth to put the money in the register. Lilly nodded at Tetsu, and getting the point, the boy nodded, and left as well. Moving so that he was parallel of Mahiru, Lilly took the boy’s hands into his own, and rubbed the boy’s muscles. Sighing, Mahiru glanced up, and saw an understanding look in Lilly’s familiar looking red eyes. Why did they look so familiar? “I just don’t know Lilly…It’s like he hates me…what did I do to make him not like me?”

“Mahiru, listen to me, okay?” Lilly asked, and when Mahiru heard the serious tone the older male was using, he nodded, and kept his gaze on the blond. Lilly sighed, and watched as Tetsu came back to their table, and took the glass away from it. Watching him leave, Lilly glanced back at Mahiru, who looked like he was an absolute mess. Biting his lip, the blond tightened his grip on their hands, and looked the brunet in his raw looking eyes. “Kuro…he was always like that. How do I know? Well…this might be a shock, but Kuro is my older brother.”

Mahiru blinked owlishly, looking at Lilly. Kuro was…what?! Glancing over Lilly, Mahiru tried to find anything that the two shared, but nothing seemed to match Kuro’s characteristics. Shaking his head, Mahiru sighed, and waited for Lilly to explain more, the blond looked like he was waiting for him to process what he said. Biting the inside of his cheek, Mahiru looked over Lilly again, and when he looked into the other’s red eyes, it suddenly hit him. They had the same red eyes! No wonder they looked familiar. Noticing that Mahiru finally believed him, Lilly nodded, and took a deep breath, getting ready to continue his explanation.

“Kuro just has a lot on his shoulders. Things happened in his past…that I can’t tell you about. He’ll have to tell you about it to be honest. He may not trust you yet, but…he will. You just need to have faith in him, and just be there for him. Prove to him that whatever he does, or says, will not shake you from getting to him. Can you do that, Mahiru?” Lilly asked, rubbing his thumb over the brunet’s now shaking hands. Mahiru glanced down at their hands, obviously thinking. Lilly said the same thing their dance teacher told him. What happened to Kuro to make him have so many trust issues? Shaking his head, Mahiru glanced up at Lilly when the blond tapped his hand again. “He probably just got defensive. Did you mention something that made him get that way? Even if you did, please don’t hold it against him…I’m sure he didn’t mean it, and he is probably regretting hurting you this way right at this moment…”

“Are you sure Lilly…do you really think so?” Mahiru asked, biting his lip. Lilly smiled softly at him once more, and when he nodded, the brunet sighed again, and felt all the weight of what Kuro told him leave his shoulders. Seeing the brunet relax, Lilly let go of their hands, and leaned back against the booth. Mahiru smiled, and stood up, watching as the helpful blond did the same. Observing that their talk had ended, Tetsu and Misono walked away from the counter and towards the door where Mahiru was about to leave. Seeing them coming over, the brunet smiled at them. “Thanks so much guys…I think I might go look around some more before returning back to C3…I need to clear my mind some more…but really…thanks, for everything!”

“No problem Mahiru…Ya know, you should bring Kuro here some time, it would be nice to see big brother again!” Lilly said, shrugging off his apron. Knowing what was next, Mahiru quickly waved goodbye, before fleeing out the door. He knew Lilly, and when that apron comes off, it’s time to run. “Wait Mahiru! Don’t you want to see some skin?!  


“Lilly! Clothes on! We’ve got customers!” 

\-------------------------------------

It was around five pm when Kuro finally woke up. Yawning, the teen sluggishly sat up, and rubbed his eyes. Getting off the messy bed, the older teen sighed, before making his way lazily across the messy room, and towards his door. Taking a deep breath, Kuro put his hand on the doorknob, and opened it. However, instead of hearing Mahiru walking around, the television playing, or pots and pans being moved around from the brunet cooking, all the lazy teen heard was silence. Blinking, Kuro stepped out of his room, and shut the door. Walking out towards the lounge, Kuro glanced around, and noticed that Mahiru’s jacket and sandals were missing, meaning the teen was still out. Frowning, the older teen sighed, and looked at the television. There was nothing on at this time of day, so what should he do. Looking towards the door again, Kuro sighed, and began to shrug on his own jacket and boots.

“He’s such a bother,” the teen sighed, making his way out of the dorm. Once he was outside, Kuro glanced around. It was starting to get dark, and Mahiru still gave no sign of returning…where did that teen go? Sighing, Kuro walked out of the courtyard, and out of C3 all together. He at least knew that Mahiru would know better to stay around the university. Thinking about the expression the brunet had on his face when they were fighting made unwanted guilt rise in Kuro’s chest. Glancing down at his boots, Kuro sighed, and continued to look around for his motherly dormmate. “Where could he have gone?”

Noticing the café Mahiru was at earlier, the older teen sighed. The shop was closed now, but that didn’t mean the brunet wasn't there earlier. Glancing around some more, Kuro continued to do some bothersome thinking to find out where Mahiru could have gone, when a thought suddenly came to his head. Knowing there was a park near, maybe he went there. Shrugging, the teen kicked a small pebble across the street, before making his way towards the park. The way it was getting dark, Kuro wanted to find the brunet before he couldn’t even see in front of him at all. Once he made it towards the park, Kuro walked through the entrance, and looked around. Mahiru had to be here somewhere right? Sighing, the teen stalked through the park some more, and when he got towards the middle, Kuro finally spotted Mahiru, but when he did, he froze. 

“M-Mahiru?” the teen whispered out. Mahiru had his jacket off, leaving him in only his midriff shirt that got the older teen’s attention during the morning, but that wasn’t the only thing that made Kuro freeze. Mahiru had his headphones in, and the teen’s body was swaying with the music. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Kuro quietly watched as the brunet’s hips sway in circles, before Mahiru did an easy cartwheel flip, and landed on his feet spinning with his eyes closed, and his arms crossed around his chest. It was obvious that Mahiru was dancing for a while, because as the brunet spun, Kuro could see the sweat draining down his face. “O-okay…he’s pretty good…”

When the teen stopped spinning, and started swaying his hips back and forth again to some unknown beat Kuro couldn’t hear, the older teen quietly stepped closer to the younger boy, shakily put his hands on the other’s waist. Feeling the new touch, Mahiru twitched, startled, before he was swung around by Kuro, and they stared into each other’s eyes. The brunet swallowed, like he was about to say something, but then Kuro yanked out his headphones so that the music was playing freely through the air. It was that song Mahiru mentioned before. Sunlight Avenue? Sighing, Kuro moved his body with Mahiru’s, and when the teen figured out what was happening, he smiled brightly, and placed his hands-on Kuro’s shoulders.

“Your stance is not right, straighten up a bit,” Mahiru sighed out, moving his hands behind Kuro’s back to push on it lightly. Feeling this, Kuro arched out, and flushed slightly. It felt so weird to have someone else touching him…but he didn’t want to break their dance. Mahiru seemed to notice Kuro’s struggle, because his hand left his back, and went back to his shoulders. Kuro coughed, before straightening his back, and as soon as he did that, their bodies seemed to move in more sync then before. “There we go!”

“M-Mahiru…I’m sorry about what I said…I guess,” Kuro sighed out, as he circled them around and Mahiru’s back touched his chest. The brunet knew that Kuro only did this because his face was probably flushing, but that didn’t matter, the teen apologized. Relaxing further into Kuro, Mahiru let the teen take the lead, and when they went to spin around each other, their feet got tangled together, and Mahiru yelped. Slamming his eyes shut, Mahiru waited for his body to hit the ground, but when it didn’t, and he felt something warm around his waist, and a hand holding onto his own. Opening his eyes, Mahiru found himself looking into Kuro’s poker face. “Are you okay?”

Looking at their pose, Mahiru couldn’t help the laughter that fled from his throat. Kuro blinked at the bright laughter, but as he took in their positions, he couldn’t help but hide his face into his chest as a small chuckle left his mouth as well. They pulled of some odd French dip just by falling over each other. As Mahiru’s laughter faded into giggles, the older teen slowly pulled him up until he was back on his feet, and then let him go. Mahiru wiped the tears of laughter from his sparkling eyes, before sighing. Hearing the sigh, Kuro glanced up from hiding his face, and noticed Mahiru picking up his jacket. When he covered his body again, Kuro could help but remember how warm the teen’s body was. 

“Come on Kuro. We’ll talk about it after we got back, okay?” Mahiru asked, turning to look at his dormmate. Kuro nodded softly, before walking to the brunet’s side. Smiling at the silent teen, Mahiru looked up at the now dark sky, and noticed some stars twinkling. Glancing at Kuro from the corner of his eyes, and seen the other was doing the same, and his red eyes were sparkling. Smiling softly, Mahiru shuffled a little closer to the other, and sighed from the warmth radiating off his body. Noticing this, Kuro tensed, but slowly relaxed as Mahiru made no other attempt of touching him. “It’s still early for dinner, what do you want?”

Seeing the shocked look fly across Kuro’s face, Mahiru thought about what Lilly said earlier, and frowned. It seemed like everything the teacher and the blond said was true. Mahiru literally had no idea what happened to make the older teen the way he was now, but as Kuro mumbled some suggestions, without his poker face on for once, the brunet knew one thing. He wanted to know everything about his mysterious dormmate, and even if it took a while to do so, Mahiru would not back down. Seeing the determined expression on Mahiru’s face, Kuro just rolled his eyes, and finally decided to have simple ramen for dinner, since it was getting late anyways. And as the two continued to walk back, and C3 finally got into their sights, Kuro just stayed silent and listened to Mahiru ramble on and on about his favorite coffee, dance moves, and just random facts about himself. And when Mahiru would fall silent, Kuro would sometimes admit things, and as he talked, Mahiru just knew, that if they just got along better, they should be okay. So as Kuro admitted what his favorite kind of ramen was, Mahiru laughed, and a comfortable silence finally fell upon them as they finally made their way back into the dorming areas of C3.


	3. Eyes On Me

Ever since Mahiru had talked to Lilly, and found out that him and Kuro were brothers, the brunet could not get the thought out of his head. The teen was currently lying in bed, going over some of the texts on his phone. Apparently, Sakuya could not get someone called Tsubaki away from him. Chuckling slightly at the emoji the green haired teen used, Mahiru replied back, before clicking off his phone, and placing it on his bedside table. Raising his arms behind his head, the teen silently stared up at the ceiling, letting his thoughts run around his mind. Ever since the two somewhat made up, it seemed like they could be around each other longer without arguing or tension. Smiling softly at the thought of them getting along, Mahiru turned on his side, and closed his eyes, letting his thoughts silence for the night. After all, it was late, and the dormmates had class in the morning. Closing his eyes, it wasn’t long until sleep took over the brunet.

\-----------------------------------------

“Kuro! Wake up! We got class in an hour!” was the only thing the lazy teen heard as his motherly dormmate pounded on his door. Groaning, the teen slowly slunk out of his bed, and made his way over towards the door. Opening it, Kuro was confronted with Mahiru, who had his hands on his hips. Hearing a snort, Kuro growled lightly as Mahiru giggled at him. “I-t’s nothing…just uh…s-shower and fix your b-bedhead.”

“Yeah, Yeah Mahi-Mahi…” the teen sighed, smirking as the brunet protested the nickname as he walked towards the bathroom. Closing the door, Kuro slipped off his clothes, and threw them in the hamper that Mahiru had placed in the bathroom. Turning on the shower, Kuro waited for the water to regulate, before stepping in, and sighing in comfort as the warm water washed over his shoulders. “This day is going to be a drag.”

Watching Kuro step into the bathroom, and hearing the shower turn on, Mahiru huffed, before sighing. Shaking his head, Mahiru walked out of the hallway, and decided to make Kuro a simple breakfast for when he came out of the shower. Making scrambled eggs took no time at all, and right when Mahiru placed them on a plate, Kuro came out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel around his waist.

“Scrambled eggs?” Kuro mumbled, taking the plate out of the shocked Mahiru’s hand. Opening the fridge, Kuro took out some ketchup, squirted it on the fluffy eggs, before putting it back in, and taking a bite. Not hearing a word from his usually talkative dormmate, Kuro blinked, and slowly glanced at Mahiru, who was flushing a bright red color. Cocking his head to the side, the older teen swallowed his food, before clearing his throat. “M-Mahiru?”

“O-oh…sorry! I’m going to get d-dressed! You do the s-same when y-you’re done eating!” the brunet yelped out, and Kuro watched as the flushing teen bolted out of the kitchen, towards his own room. Blinking, Kuro shrugged, and continued to eat the food Mahiru made for him. Meanwhile, back in the brunet’s bedroom, the teen had his back to his door. “Damn it Mahiru…really? Ugh…”

Shaking his head, the teen took a relaxing breath, before shrugging off his pajama shirt, and throwing it in the hamper. Taking out dark orange skinny jeans, the teen removed his old clothing, and placed on new ones. Bouncing up and down, Mahiru finally got his pants on, and slid a silver studded belt through the loops, buckling it loose since the pants were already tight enough. Sighing, the brunet looked through his r-shirts, and picked out a light grey graphic one. Slipping it on, Mahiru took a look at himself in his full-length mirror, before nodding, feeling satisfied. Rolling his shoulders back, the teen grabbed his light orange string bag, before a lazy sounding knock echoed from his door.

“Mahiru? I guess I’m ready…u-um…lets g-go?” Kuro asked through the door. Smiling softly, Mahiru slid the bag on his back, before quickly opening the door to see Kuro all dressed already. He was wearing simple black skinny jeans, with a dark blue sleeveless cat hoodie. Good…at least he was dressed this time. Walking past Kuro, Mahiru slid on his red converse, and opened the door to their dorm. Slipping on his black boots, Kuro let out a sigh, and followed the practically vibrating brunet out the door. “Why couldn’t they make moving floors…what a pain.”

\------------------------------

As the two got to class, Mahiru took his place by the window, while Kuro decided to take the place behind the brunet. Hearing the bell ring, all chatter grew silent as the teacher, or as Mahiru just found out…Mr. Krantz…entered the room in high spirits. Taking a glance around the room, the sandy-blond nodded, and began writing on the white board behind him. When he finished, Mahiru took in the big red letters that said, ‘ASSIGNMENT.’

“Now class, before we get to today’s stretches and dance steps, I want to let you all know about an assignment I have for all of you,” Krantz called out, gaining everyone’s attention. Mahiru furrowed his brow lightly. An assignment, already? Glancing behind him, the brunet gave Kuro, who was also looking dumbfounded, a confused expression. Shrugging at the brunet, Kuro pointed lightly at the front, and Mahiru nodded softly, before turning back around to glance at Mr. Krantz again. “Now no worries guys, it isn’t anything major. All it is, is a presentation of some sorts!”

Blinking, Mahiru crossed his arms lightly against his chest. What did that teacher have in mind by a presentation? Not knowing a thing, the brunet shook his head, and just decided to listen. Hearing Mr. Krantz mention a dance routine, that really didn’t surprise the teen, but when the words, ‘partners dance,’ came out of his mouth, Mahiru felt his throat go dry. Glancing at Kuro again, the brunet noticed that the older teen had the same expression on his face. The two were at a completely different level…how in the hell are they going to dance in front of the class without screwing up?

“Okay, now that you guys know about the performance assignment, let’s get back to the main thing here. Make sure to complete all your stretches, and let me know when you’re done!” Krantz called out, clapping his hands together twice. Hearing the ‘yes sirs,’ ring from his students, the sandy-blond smiled big, and nodded, beginning his own stretches as well. “Even if we’re not done with the dance lessons, stretching is more important than anything! Have fun, and go into the pairs I put you in!”

Nodding, Mahiru slowly turned around to see Kuro, flat on his butt, groaning about, ‘stretching being a lot of work and it’s too much of a bother,’ rolling his eyes, Mahiru gently pushed the lazily teen into position, before softly pushing on his back until Kuro was all the way on the floor with his legs stretched into an almost split. Hearing his bones crack, Mahiru winced, but slowly let up, chuckling slightly when Kuro groaned out a hiss. Of course, it was going to be sore, Mahiru had never seen the older teen stretch before a dance before since he met him. Doing it again, the brunet smiled slightly when Kuro seemed to be a little more comfortable, and when the other was able to stretch without feeling into resistance, Mahiru stopped, and switched places. Feeling Kuro’s hands pushing down on his back, Mahiru was easily able to touch the floor, but that didn’t stop the teen from finishing the stretch. 

“There…I think we’re done,” Kuro muttered, once Mahiru’s body relaxed against his hold. Nodding slightly, Mahiru leaned back up, and watched as the lazy teen sat next to him, and reached sluggishly to touch his toes. Doing the same, Mahiru watched as Kuro’s muscles moved with him, and when Kuro’s red eyes met his chestnut, the boy blushed before focusing back on his own stretches. Furrowing his brow, Kuro watched as Mahiru slowly got out of position, and slowly leaned down, doing a complete split. Wincing slightly, Kuro groaned out in pain just from watching the teen do that. Seeing the wince Kuro let out, Mahiru snickered, before leaning to the left, letting his sides stretch out. “H-how in the hell do you do that?!”

“Lots of practice, the first time I did this, it was a mistake and it hurt a lot,” Mahiru muttered, letting out a soothing breath as he straightened his body out. Kuro nodded, and watched as the brunet leaned to the right this time, and as he moved, the lazy teen noticed the way the younger teen’s slight muscles against his shoulders flexed. Mahiru wasn’t exactly muscular, but the boy did have a good build for dancing on him. Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Kuro slowly leaned back up from touching his toes, and leaned back on his hands, watching Mahiru finish his own stretches. Once he finished, the brunet sighed, feeling more relaxed than when he first started, and slowly got out of being in a split. “The first time I did that, Sakuya and Ryuusei were messing around, and one of them tripped, and knocked into me. I have never felt my muscles crack so hard as they did as I landed in a split. It felt like my legs were getting pulled apart…ugh. Just remembering it makes the pain come back!”

Shivering slightly at the thought, Mahiru quickly shook his head, and let out a sigh. Glancing around the room, the teen noticed that a lot of the other were done stretching, and when a whistle sounded through the room, the teen knew that their stretches were done, and it was time to start the lesson. Standing up, Mahiru held his hand out to Kuro, who blinked at it, before shyly taking it, hiding his face in his chest. Smiling at the sight, the brunet helped the older teen up, before getting back into their original positions, right when Mr. Krantz decided to start the lesson. And before anyone knew it, the clock struck three pm, and the bell signaling the end of their class period rang. Mr. Krantz sighed, and fixed the braid that kept his hair neat.

“Okay guys, looks like we spent more time stretching then dancing, but whatever. Make sure you practice those moves outside this class, and don’t forget about your assignment! It’s begins in a week!” the teacher sighed out, watching as his students laughed and fled out of the room faster than ever. Rolling his eyes, Krantz took in the way Kuro and Mahiru stayed, still packing up their things. Smiling slightly, the sandy-blond was happy to see that they were getting along better. Feeling eyes on them the duo turned around, and looked at their teacher. “Awesome job today guys. Kuro, just one thing! You need to keep up with Mahiru, remember that, and Mahiru? Try to encourage him. I know he may be a little more advanced then you, but if you guys work together, I am sure you can get passed the experience barrier!”

Nodding at their teacher’s advice, Mahiru waved goodbye, and walked out with a groaning Kuro behind him. Sighing, Krantz smiled, before taking his phone out of his pocket, and seeing a lot of texts from his nephew that was in a different class. Rolling his eyes at the profanity the teen used, the teacher sighed, before getting everything ready for the next class. If one those two could get along better like Kuro and Mahiru. 

“Kuro…do you want to go practice in the park for a bit? Or maybe we can eat first…where do you wanna go?” Mahiru asked, once they were out of the building and out in the courtyard. Glancing at the cloudy sky, Kuro lazily thought about the places that were around here. Seeing the teen having trouble, Mahiru suddenly remembered something, and he smiled. Clearing his throat, the brunet smiled as Kuro glanced at him. “How about we go to that café I like? I think there’s someone who wants to see you there.”

“Huh?” Kuro asked, blinking owlishly. Not saying a thing, Mahiru smiled at him, and continued to walk out of C3. Not knowing what else to do, Kuro furrowed his brows, but followed the teen anyway. Who wants to see him? And why? Not thinking of anyone, Kuro just sighed, and followed the chatty brunet until they made it to the café. Opening the door, the lazy teen glanced up as a bell sounded their presence, before Mahiru called out someone’s names. Seeing two boys walk out of the back, Kuro almost tripped in shock as his youngest brother peeked out from the back as well. “L-Lilly!”

“KURO!” the blond gasped, running out of the back, and hopping over the counter. Mahiru yelped, and quickly moved out of the way as the tall blond basically ran him over just to get to the shocked teen. Shuffling over to Tetsu and Misono, Mahiru watched as Lilly practically wrapped Kuro into a hug, and rubbed his cheek all over the frozen other. Chuckling, Mahiru glanced at the two other boys, and grinned. He knew that Lilly wanted to see Kuro, but he didn’t think it would be this bad. He almost felt bad for his dormmate. “I’ve missed you so much! It’s been years! How come you didn’t come here earlier! You know how much we’ve missed you! How have you been?! Has your hair gotten longer?!” 

“O-okay Lilly…” Kuro groaned out, pushing the over excited blond off him, stepping back an inch. He was honestly not used to being forced to hug someone…even if it was his brother. Sighing, Kuro glanced up to see the familiar red eyes staring down with something akin to love. Swallowing uneasily, the quiet teen glanced down at their shoes. Yeah…he still wasn’t very good at this…love thing. Sighing, Kuro glanced back up, and patted Lilly’s shoulder. “It’s good t-to see you too…”

Mahiru smiled brightly as Lilly continued to hound on the obviously embarrassed Kuro. It was then that the brunet went over Lilly’s words in his head, and he was sure that the blond had said, ‘we’ve.’ Did Kuro have more siblings then just Lilly? Frowning lightly, the brunet knew that they still had a lot to learn about each other if he seriously had no idea that the lazy teen had other siblings. Shaking his head to rid those odd thoughts, Mahiru just smiled, and giggled when Lilly clung to Kuro’s arm.

“How about we all sit down, and eat…Kuro and I have to get ready for an assignment Mr. Krantz gave us,” Mahiru explained, moving towards the huge booth the café had in the corner of the building. Kuro sighed, but allowed the still excited Lilly basically drag him as they followed Mahiru. Misono glanced at Tetsu, who nodded, and they both went to the counter, deciding to make coffee and some food for them. Smelling the fresh scent of coffee wavering in the air, Mahiru relaxed against the booth he was sitting on, and Kuro watched as the teen closed his eyes. Hearing the clinking sounds of dishes and coffee cups, Mahiru opened his eyes, and watched as Misono sat down beside him, while Tetsu carried the food and the coffee with him. “Wow guys! This looks good!”

Grinning, Misono handed out the plates, and watched as everyone dug in. By the time they were done, and the café open sign was turned to closed, Kuro laid back against the seat, patting his belly. Mahiru smiled softly at the sight as he helped the three clean up, and when the table was clear of plates and cups, and was wiped clean, Mahiru gathered his things, before walking towards the exit, feeling his dormmate right on his heels. Hearing Lilly call out to Kuro again, Mahiru stopped, and watched as the lazy teen turned around, and allowed Lilly to wrap him in a hug once again. Watching the sight, Mahiru smiled softly as he noticed Kuro slowly wrapped his arms around the blond’s waist.

“Goodbye big brother…will you visit again soon?” Lilly asked, rubbing his cheek against Kuro’s blue hair. Flushing slightly from the affection, Kuro tried to relax, before hugging the blond closer to him, rubbing circles around the other’s back as he nodded. Lilly smiled, and sighed softly, making Kuro close his eyes. The obvious affection was the most uncomfortable thing in the world for the lazy teen…but Lilly really needed it. Smiling at the sight, Mahiru slowly left the café to give them a private moment. Hearing the bell ring, the brothers detached, and glanced to see Mahiru waiting outside. Pulling away further, Lilly brushed Kuro’s hair back, and gave him a loving smile. “Okay…good. Now don’t keep him waiting. Have fun, brother.”

Nodding, Kuro gave Lilly one last glance, before he left out the door, signaling the bell to announce his leaving. Hearing the bell, Mahiru leaned off the wall he was on, and smiled at the still flushed teen. Seeing the smile, Kuro muttered, ‘what a pain,’ and began to make his way towards the park. Grinning, Mahiru snickered, and jogged after the teen, who slowed down for the brunet. Once they got side to side, the teens stayed in a comfortable silence as they made their way to the well-known park. Since it was dusk, they knew that not a lot of people were there, and that meant they could practice in silence and without being bothered. Once they got past the entrance, and towards the middle of the park, the two put their bags down by the tree, and Kuro watched as Mahiru took out a portable speaker and attached his phone to it.

“What should we practice to?” Mahiru asked, searching through his playlist silently. Kneeling down next to the brunet, Kuro watched as the teen switched through songs, seeming like he couldn’t find anything good enough for them to get in sync to. Sighing, Kuro gently took the teen’s phone out of his hands, and clicked some random song. Mahiru blinked, but slowly stood up as the song began to play, and a techno beat echoed through the air. Raising his eyebrows, the brunet shrugged, and observed the way Kuro started tapping his foot to the beat. It hasn’t even been long, and the lazy teen was already able to match it perfectly. Watching his foot carefully, Mahiru tried to follow, and after a few times that were fails, the brunet was finally able to completely follow Kuro’s lead. “O-okay…next step…do it right please.”

“What a pain…just don’t stumble on me if you can’t keep up,” Kuro sighed, beginning to lift his legs a little bit as he spun around, keeping a pretty good timing with the song’s beat. Mahiru watched the teen’s body work, before shaking his head, and trying to follow his lead. Noticing the brunet was having a hard time keeping up, Kuro sighed, and slowed his movements. Seeing this, Mahiru bit his lip, and when he was finally able to move in time with Kuro, the older teen began to speed up. “The beat is speeding up, just let your body flow with it, okay?”

Nodding slightly, Mahiru tried to relax his muscles, and just as Kuro said, the song’s rhythm started speeding up. Moving their hips side to side, both teens launched into a steady spin, keep their arms locked to their chests. Getting out of the rotation, Kuro glanced at Mahiru, and noticed him starting to keep better. Nodding, the olden teen went to do a quick cartwheel that went before the many flips, but when Mahiru did the same, their legs got tangled at the last moment, and the brunet let out a yelp as they fell hard. Groaning, Kuro slowly sat up, rubbing the back of his head. Mahiru stayed on his back, letting out little sounds of pain. 

“Ugh…ouch, ouch, ouch…that hurt,” the brunet yelped out, carefully sitting up. Kuro nodded, slightly, looking over his limbs to make sure nothing was broken, and when he appeared fine, the lazy teen stood up slowly. Seeing Kuro get up, Mahiru checked himself, and when nothing appeared broken to him, he sighed, and shakily stood up. Watching the teen stand up, Kuro observed the way his muscles protested the movement. It looks like the brunet couldn’t find a way to cushion himself as they felt like Kuro could. Hearing the song still going, Mahiru reached over, and paused it. “Sorry…that was my fault…are you okay?”

“Yeah…I’m fine, are you?” Kuro asked lazily, taking in the way the brunet rubbed his shoulders. Seeing the brunet nod, the older teen sighed, before getting in his old position. Mahiru smiled when he saw Kuro do this, before restarting the song, and clicking it off pause. Hearing the melody start again, the brunet quickly got to his position again, and began tapping his foot, syncing up with Kuro right away. Kuro noticed this, and nodded. At least he was able to keep up with this much. “Okay, let’s try to speed up now…stay with me.”

Nodding, the two began to speed up the way their bodies moved, and the whole time, Kuro noticed that Mahiru was actually keeping up with him. Lifting their legs and spinning again, the two moved around each other, switching their positions, and was they stopped, Mahiru grinned. He was keeping up! As the beat sped up, the teens moved their hips side to side, before going into another spin. Going back to their original spots, Kuro spun his hips, watching as Mahiru did the same. So far so good…now comes the hard part. Seeing the look Mahiru gave him, Kuro nodded, and they both launched into cartwheels. Spinning past each other, the two switched the cartwheels into three back flips, before landing on their feet. 

“Okay, now it’s time to get back the same way, keep the rhythm up,” Kuro sighed out, rolling his hips out again. Mahiru nodded, doing the same, before they spun around again, and launched into yet another cartwheel, trying to get back to where they were before. Flipping past Mahiru, Kuro watched as they both landed shakily, before spinning again, and when the song ended, Mahiru posed with one arm behind his head, and the other arm around his hip, making sure to keep one hip popped out slightly. Kuro glanced down at himself, and noticed he was doing the same thing, but with the opposite arms. They were mirroring each other! “O-okay…”

Panting, the teens stopped the soundtrack, and fell on their butts. Falling on his back, Kuro glanced up at the sky, noticing the way some dark clouds were beginning to make their way in. Mahiru did the same, before glancing at Kuro. Taking in the way the older teen’s chest moved up and down as he panted, the brunet frowned slightly, before limply crawling his way towards their bags. Watching him do this silently, Kuro slowly sat up as Mahiru grabbed out two water bottles. Moving back towards Kuro, Mahiru handed him the water bottle, and Kuro took it gently. Twisting the caps up, the teens took huge gulps, and sighed as the cool liquid drained down their throats. 

“Man, that’s good!” Mahiru sighed out, as he stopped drinking. Seeing Kuro nod, the brunet smiled, before glancing at the darkening sky again. It obviously looked like it was going to downpour…maybe they could get in a few more practice sessions. Taking another big gulp, Mahiru set the water bottle down near their bags, before shakily standing up. Seeing this, Kuro stood up sluggishly, and tossed his bottle towards Mahiru’s. “Do you think we can get another few rounds in?”

“Hmm…yeah I guess. Let’s just do them before it rains, if we slip while cartwheeling, one or both of us can get hurt,” Kuro sighed out, stretching the muscles out in his shoulders. Mahiru nodded, before leaning down to touch his toes. When they both stood up straight again, the brunet started the song again, and they got into position. “Okay. I am going to move at top speed again. Think you can keep up?”

Nodding, Mahiru gave the older teen a determined look, and Kuro hummed out. Hearing the melody start, the teens began to move, feeling the music almost running through their bodies as they danced. Glancing at Mahiru, Kuro noticed the brunet was trying to keep up with him, and frowned. He knew that it was going to be hard, but the way Mahiru was looking determined to do this, Kuro did not slow down. As they rolled their hips, and launched into spinning cartwheels, Kuro winced as Mahiru smacked into him, and they fell again. Mahiru groaned, before standing back up right away. Kuro did the same, and Mahiru restarted the song. It took them about four times before Mahiru finally flipped past Kuro without smacking into him. Noticing this, Kuro smirked, and they quickly finished the dance routine. Landing on his feet, Mahiru struck his final pose, feeling the burst of confidence fly through him. Glancing at Kuro, and seeing him nod at him in approval, Mahiru smiled his one hundred watts smile, making the older teen flush. 

“Okay…wanna try one last time?” Mahiru asked, as Kuro fled the teen’s gaze to get his water before he saw him blushing. Taking the last few sips from it, Kuro sighed, feeling the flush leave his face, and glanced at Mahiru. Seeing the teen nod, Mahiru grinned, and drank the last of his water bottle. Throwing their bottles in the recycle bin that was near them, Mahiru quickly reset the song, and got back into position. “Let’s do this one more time!”

Kuro nodded at him, and as they heard the song start, the two teens glanced at each other, before starting. Tapping their feet, the two raised their legs at the same time, and quickly spun in two quick circles, keeping their arms to their chest. Slowing down the spins, the teens dropped their arms above their sides, and rolled their hips into circles, before making slight hip thrusting movements. Doing another spin, Kuro and Mahiru looked at each other again, before launching into a spinning cartwheel. Rolling past each other, Mahiru couldn’t help but grin as their legs did not get tangled in each other, even though they were going at Kuro’s fast pace. Moving to get into the back flips, the teens did three successful ones before landing on their feet, steadily. Kuro glanced towards Mahiru, and noticed that the brunet was not having a hard time keeping up with him anymore. They were finally in sync with each other! Rolling their hips again, the two observed each other, before throwing themselves into another spinning cartwheel. Back flipping past each other, the two teens landed without shaking, and struck their final pose as the song played its last beat. 

“We did it…” Kuro panted, falling on his knees. Mahiru nodded, doing the same, and as they rolled on their backs, and stared at the sky, the brunet could not help but break down into laughter. Blinking at the sound, Kuro just stayed silent, and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the happy teen. Hearing the laughter go down into occasional giggles, Kuro slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Mahiru. The teen looked as happy as he could ever be. Glancing at Kuro, Mahiru smiled tiredly at him, and scooted a little closer. Noticing this, the older teen didn’t say anything, and just turned his head to stare at the sky again. “You did good…nice job…I guess.”

Not really caring about how monotone Kuro’s compliment sounded, Mahiru just grinned, and closed his eyes. He knew that the lazy teen always sounded that way, so it didn’t matter. A compliment was a compliment. Sighing, Mahiru opened his eyes, and glanced at the sky. More and more clouds made their appearance, and if the two wanted to get out of the park dry, they really should head back to C3. Groaning, the brunet slowly sat up, and turned to face Kuro. Seeing the way the teen had his eyes closed, Mahiru sighed, and poked his hand. Kuro sighed, and opened his eyes, looking at the other. The brunet smiled gently at him, before getting up, heading towards their bags. Kuro sluggishly sat up, and watched as Mahiru turned off his playlist, and slipped his phone into his back pocket. Stuffing the speaker in his bag, the brunet slipped his string bag on, before turning to face Kuro, who was slowly standing back up. 

“We should really start heading back…it looks like it’s going to downpour any minute,” the brunet told him, and Kuro nodded. Walking to grab his messenger bag, Kuro slipped it over his shoulders, before stuffing his hands in his pockets. Walking over towards the brunet, Kuro nodded towards the exit of the park, and Mahiru nodded. Walking side by side, the two stayed in a comfortable silence until the sound of thunder rumbled in the distance, and buckets of rain fell from the sky. Looking at each other in panic, Kuro hissed, while Mahiru yelped. “SHIT! Come on Kuro! Let’s get back fast!”

Basically shooting out of the park, the two teens bolted down the streets, and to be honest, this was the fastest Mahiru had even saw Kuro move when he wasn’t dancing. Keeping up their pace, the two teens tried not to slip as their university came into their sights, and by the time they were in the dorming buildings, both of them were soaked to the bone. Panting, the two laid against the walls, trying to get breaths back as their hair dripped and their clothes clung to their bodies. Glancing at Kuro, Mahiru couldn’t help the snort that came out of his throat as he took in the older teen’s appearance. He honest to god looked like a wet rat. Hearing the snort, Kuro glanced at Mahiru and saw the other trying not to laugh at him. Mahiru knew that they probably looked the same, but he couldn’t help it. Rolling his eyes, Kuro stood back up limply as he got his breath back, and when Mahiru was able to compose himself, the brunet did the same.

“Let’s get back to our room…” Kuro sighed, walking carefully on the tiled floor. Their shoes were squeaking from the water that soaked them, and the two winced every time they heard it. When they finally got to their room, Mahiru opened the door, and Kuro slugged in, kicking off his wet shoes. Doing the same, the brunet watched as Kuro walked towards the lounge, while he shut the door. Sighing, Mahiru dumped his string bag on his soaked shoes, before lugging his tired body towards the way Kuro went, and as he got into the lounge, a towel smacked him in the face. “Hurry up and get those clothes off. The last thing we need is to get sick.”

“Okay…” Mahiru sighed out, taking the towel off his face, and when he took in Kuro’s appearance, he covered his eyes with the fabric again. Kuro was just in his black boxers, with a towel wrapped around his shoulders. Sighing, Mahiru knew that Kuro was right, and even though he was embarrassed, they were both males, so it’s not like it mattered. Letting go of the towel, Mahiru sighed, and quickly shed off his shirt, and his pants. Kuro watched as the brunet jumped up and down as he tried to get the soaked skinny jeans off, and it took everything the teen had not to snort as the brunet fell on their couch as he attempted to pull off his jeans. “God…why is wet denim so hard to get off!”

After the fifth tug, Mahiru was finally able to rid his wet jeans, and as he stood back up to wrap the warm towel back around his shoulders, Kuro took in the way the teen was wearing dark orange boxers. Blinking, Kuro stared at the other with an unimpressed look, and when Mahiru caught it, he blushed and resisted the urge to cover himself. It’s not like he was naked, so why was Kuro staring at him so closely for?

“Is everything you wear have to be orange?” Kuro asked, glancing away as he walked towards the kitchen. Mahiru blinked, feeling a little better since Kuro looked away, before he took in what the older teen said. Sputtering, Mahiru just sighed, before following the other into the kitchen. Glancing at the clock, the brunet bit his lips. It was six pm. Still kind of early…so what should they have for dinner? Kuro glanced inside the fridge, and looked around the shelves. “What are you thinking?”

“Hm? Oh! It’s still kind of early, what do you want to eat?” Mahiru asked, rubbing the towel around his head, trying to dry his hair. Blinking, Kuro closed the fridge. The two were honestly still wet to the bone, and all the brunet worried about was making dinner for them so that they weren’t hungry? Frowning, Kuro wrapped the towel around his shoulders, and crossed his arms. Not hearing anything from the usually hungry teen, Mahiru pushed the towel back from his eyes, and noticed Kuro giving him a calculating look. Cocking his head to the side, Mahiru wrapped his towel around his neck as well, and frowned. “Is something wrong?”

Staring at the brunet a little more, Kuro just sighed, and shook his head. He wanted to ask, but…how would he even ask about Mahiru’s past when he won’t even let himself open up either? Mahiru frowned as he watched Kuro go over his thoughts before a thought came to mind. Getting out of his thoughts, Kuro blinked as he watched Mahiru jog towards where his pants were, and took the cellphone out of his back pocket. Typing in his password, Mahiru went over his contacts, before stopping at a pizza number. Glancing at Kuro, as the teen followed him into the lounge, Mahiru showed him the screen, and smiled when the other seemed to perk up at the thought of pizza.

“Sure, make sure to make it pepperoni and cheese,” Kuro mumbled, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. Mahiru grinned, before nodding, and pushing the button. Watching the brunet talk to the guy over the phone, Kuro glanced towards his room. Looking over the brunet again, he realized that they were still in their boxers. Flushing slightly, Kuro slowly walked towards his room, opened the door. Digging through his drawers, the teen grabbed a pair of batman pajama bottoms out, before walking out. Hearing the brunet still on the phone, Kuro glanced at the other’s room. Would it be okay to just enter? Biting the inside of his cheek, the older teen made up his mind, before touching the doorknob. “Oh! And olives, Mahiru!”

Hearing the hum of confirmation come from the brunet, Kuro nodded, and slowly opened the younger teen’s door. Stepping in, Kuro glanced around, and noticed that Mahiru’s room was a lot more neater than his. Walking towards the teen’s dresser, Kuro opened it, and carefully pulled out a pair of dark pajama bottoms. Looking at them closer, he noticed that they had light blue cat prints all over them. Shaking his head, Kuro shut the drawer, and noticed a photo on Mahiru’s dresser. It was obviously him when he was younger…but who was the woman? Frowning at how happy they looked, Kuro glanced back at the door, and quickly made his way out of the brunet’s room, shutting the door. It wasn’t his business anyway.

“Okay, the pizza is ordered, and it should be here in about thirty minutes,” Mahiru said, as he noticed Kuro coming back into the lounge. Handing the brunet his pajama pants, Kuro slid his own on, before glancing at Mahiru, who was looking at his own. Looking up at Kuro, Mahiru knew that the other was in his room. Biting his lip, the brunet pulled on the warm pants, before taking Kuro’s and his damp towels back towards the bathroom. Seeing him leave, Kuro noticed he had a slight look of anxiety on his face. As the brunet hung the towels to dry, he sighed, and turned around, yelping when Kuro appeared behind him. “K-Kuro! You scared me.”

“I’m…sorry for entering your room without your permission,” the older teen sighed out, glancing at the hanging towels. Mahiru blinked, before relaxing slightly. He knew that the other only did it so that he wouldn’t have to be in his boxers anymore…but he also knew that Kuro most likely had a lot of questions if he saw the photograph on the dresser. Glancing back at the other, Mahiru noticed that Kuro would not look him in the eye. Smiling, Mahiru just hummed, and shook his head, getting Kuro to finally look him in the eyes. “A-and…I won’t ask you anything. It wouldn’t be f-fair…I guess…this is such a pain.”

Watching the teen leave the bathroom, Mahiru blinked, and sighed. Smiling slightly, the brunet quickly followed Kuro back towards the lounge, keeping his eye on the other’s build. They still didn’t have shirts on, so Mahiru could see that Kuro had more of a muscular build to him. It wasn’t very noticeable, but when he danced, the brunet could obviously see it. Feeling eyes on him, Kuro rolled his eyes, before flopping on the couch, and turning on the TV. Mahiru watched as he turned on some anime, before glancing at him, red meeting chestnut.

“Instead of standing there, come over and watch this…if you want to that is,” Kuro muttered, glancing back towards the anime that was playing. Mahiru smiled softly at him, and nodded. Making his way over to the couch, Mahiru hopped over the back, and landed right in the middle, accidently falling on top of Kuro’s leg. Groaning, Kuro glared playfully at the brunet, who grinned back at him. Getting comfortable, Mahiru smirked to himself as he zoned in on the anime, completely ignoring the way he was still sitting on Kuro’s leg. The older knew he was just playing around, so with a sigh, Kuro tried pulling his leg. “Get off my leg, or else.”

“Oh? And what will you do?” Mahiru challenged, giving Kuro an evil grin. Kuro raised his eyebrows at the brunet, before he felt his own smirk rise on his face. Seeing the dark smirk on his face, Mahiru felt his blood run cold, and he already knew that challenging the older teen was a mistake. Wiping the smile of his face, Mahiru quickly tried to stumble off the couch, but when a hand wrapped around his wrist, and he was dragged back until he was on his back, and Kuro’s leg was across his waist, keeping him still, Mahiru knew he was now screwed. Swallowing lump in his throat, the brunet gave the smirking teen a shaky smile. “O-okay…I g-get it…I apologize!”

Shaking his head, Kuro let the smirk leave his face as he watched the nervous teen twitch and try to escape his hold with a poker face. Glancing back at Kuro, Mahiru watched as the lazy teen wiggled his fingers slowly, and the brunet was sure his heart stopped in his chest. Shaking his head slowly, Mahiru watched as Kuro nodded and squirmed when the teen’s hands began to lower near his feet. Biting his lip, Mahiru yelped as Kuro’s nails skittered across his feet, scratching light at the beginning of his toes, down his instep, and around his ankles. Blanking out for a second, Mahiru suddenly arched up, and loud bright laughter leaked from his mouth.

“K-Kurohohohoho! A-ah! Nohohohohohoho! I’m sorrehehehehehehehe!” the teen yelled, squirming hard as his feet kicked from the torture. Kuro smirked, and slowly reached up and squeezed the brunet’s kneecaps and thighs. Mahiru shook his head, and shook more, reaching down to try and grab the lazy tickler’s hands. Noticing this, Kuro shifted until he was almost straddling the brunet. Panting, Mahiru looked up at Kuro, and giggled more when the teen’s hands began to scribble at his stomach. “N-nohohohoohohohooho! P-plehehehehease! G-god whehehehehehehehehe did I nhahahahahahahat put a s-shirt on! SHIHIHIHIHIT!”

Hearing the curse, Kuro smirked, and squeeze down the trembling brunet’s sides, into his hips, and when Mahiru felt the devil hands touch his hips, the boy absolutely screamed bloody murder. Kuro stopped his squeezing, smirking down at the panting teen, who’s whole chest turned a light pink while his eyes glittered with tears of laughter as he stared pleadingly at the older teen. Shoving his thumbs harder into the hollows of Mahiru’s hips, Kuro felt the smirk turn into a soft smile as the brunet giggled and squeaked. Noticing the way the younger teen’s body stopped fighting, Kuro knew that he should stop soon, so with one last squeeze to the teen’s hips, Kuro let go of him, and sat back down. Feeling the tickling stop, Mahiru rolled onto his side, cradling himself as the last of his giggles poured out of his mouth. Panting, Mahiru glanced at Kuro, and gave him a tired glare. 

“That’s what you get,” Kuro muttered, not even having to take his eyes of the anime to know that the brunet was glaring at him. Rolling his eyes, Mahiru just sighed, before perking up slightly when a knock sounded at their door. Taking a deep breath, Mahiru slowly slid off the couch, and slugged towards the door. Opening it, the teen paid the pizza man, before Kuro appeared behind him, basically leaning on the brunet. Thanking the man, Mahiru shut the door, and handed the other the pizza. “Let’s eat in here…I like this show.”

Nodding, Mahiru watched as Kuro walked towards the lounge again, and as he followed him, Mahiru couldn’t help but think about the way Kuro smiled as they played around with each other. He wasn’t sure if Kuro knew, but Mahiru saw the teen’s smile. It honestly looked like he was having fun. Smiling at the thought, the brunet jogged towards the kitchen to grab plates, drinks, and napkins. Hearing Kuro protest that he was missing the best parts, Mahiru just rolled his eyes, smiling, before making his way back towards the lounge.

\--------------------

“Ma…Mahi…. Ru…Mahiru?” Groaning slightly, the brunet slowly opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. He wasn’t in his room…so, where was he? Moving his eyes, Mahiru took in more of the area, and realized he was in the lounge, and Kuro was looking down at him. Blinking, the teen slowly sat up, and rubbed his eyes. Moving away slightly, Kuro sighed, and rubbed the back of his neck. While the two were eating, and watching anime, they literally ate the entire pizza, and when they sat down to watch more of the show, they both ended up blacking out. Seeing Mahiru’s confused expression, Kuro knew he would have to explain. “We fell asleep here…sorry I should’ve woke you up sooner...”

“N-no…it’s okay…what time is it?” Mahiru asked, sitting up some more to dig around for his phone. Kuro sighed, and showed the teen his own, and when the brunet noticed it was an hour before they had to go to class, he yelped, and got up quickly. Seeing this, Kuro nodded towards the bathroom. Mahiru blinked, before taking in the other. He was already dressed, and by the looks of it, Kuro already showered. This was the first time the brunet didn’t have to tell him himself to do all that. Letting out a sigh, Mahiru nodded his thanks before shooting towards his room. Picking out something simple to wear, aka khaki shorts, and a sleeveless shirt, Mahiru brought them in the bathroom with him, and shut the door. “Gotta do this fast…”

Letting Mahiru get ready, Kuro yawned, before walking towards the entrance of their dorm. Checking his boots, the teen noticed they were still damp, and sighed. Walking back towards his room, Kuro walked in, and looked around for his black high-tops. When he found them, the teen sat on his bed and slipped them on, and tied the laces. Hearing the bathroom door open, Kuro stood back up, and walked out of his room, almost running into Mahiru, who was already dressed. Nodding at him, the teens walked towards the entrance again, and Mahiru slipped on his second pair of shoes, which were dark blue high-tops, and slipped on his string bag. Doing the same with his messenger bag, Kuro was secretly glad the bags weren’t soaked like everything else. Opening the door, the teen slipped out, and Mahiru locked it. Glancing at each other, Kuro shrugged slightly, and Mahiru smiled. They walked in a comfortable silence as they walked to class.

\--------------------------  
“Thank god! We made it! Mahiru yelped as the two teens made it in the room right when the bell rang. Kuro nodded tiredly in agreement, and slowly took his spot near the window, behind the excited brunet. In all honesty, Kuro wanted to be relaxed too…but everything that was going through him was just anxiety, nerves, and lot of his old doubts that won’t stop talking to him. Shaking his head, Kuro glanced up as soon as Mr. Krantz whistled, and started the class. Glancing down at his feet, the lazy teen let out a breath, as he tried to calm down. Glancing behind him to look at Kuro, Mahiru noticed the teen looked really pale, and his hands were slightly shaking. “Hm? Kuro…are you okay?”

Hearing the whisper, Kuro tried to answer the brunet, but when he looked up at the concerned eyes, nothing could come out, no matter how hard he tried. Mahiru frowned at him, and when Mr. Krantz called their name so that they could come up and show off they dance routine assignment, the brunet shifted closer to the practically vibrating teen. Kuro tried to take a deep breath, but when it got caught in his throat, he swallowed down a small whimper. Shaking his head, Kuro slowly got into position, and glanced at his partner as the brunet set up the same song they practiced thoroughly in the park. He had to do this…but what if he screwed up? He could get them a failing grade…or worse…Mahiru could get seriously injured. Feeling his breath stop at that thought, Kuro glanced at Mahiru, and noticed him looking at him.

“Okay?” he whispered, and even though he wasn’t okay, Kuro nodded, and Mahiru hesitantly started the song. Hearing the beat, Kuro turned his attention to the whole class, and tensed up as he saw so many eyes on him. Tensing up, Kuro tapped his foot, while Mahiru did the same, except Mahiru was relaxed. Glancing at the tense teen, Mahiru bit his lip, and raised his leg. Kuro was keeping up…but it looked forced, not natural. Glancing at Mr. Krantz, Mahiru could tell that the sandy-blond could see this too. Swallowing, Mahiru spun around, keeping in sync with Kuro’s tense movements. Moving their hips side to side, and then around in circles, the brunet spun around, getting ready to do their spinning cartwheels and flips, but as he saw Kuro’s movements start to stop, he felt his eyes widen. Deciding quickly, the brunet did a backflip, and cartwheeled over to Kuro. “Kuro! Come on, look at me! Kuro!”

Hearing the hushed tone, Kuro felt his body getting spun around, and when his wide red eyes met the calming chestnut ones of his partner, the teen realized that Mahiru changed up the routine. Staring into his eyes, Kuro tried to glance at the eyes that were silently judging him, but when he tried, Mahiru spun him around again. Feeling his hands being placed on the brunet’s hips and Mahiru’s arms being locked around his neck as their hips slotted and moved together, he looked into the other’s eyes again, and noticed the teen mutter something to him. Zoning back in, Kuro heard the brunet say, ‘eyes on me.’ Swallowing, Kuro nodded slightly, getting a huge grin in returned, Kuro finally spun them both around, and they let go of each other. 

“Thank god…” Mahiru thought as Kuro’s movements got more soothing instead of being tense. Spinning their hips in circles again, the teens spun around before launching the second cartwheels and flips since the first attempt failed. Feeling each other spin past, they felt their legs get tangled, and as they fell, the class groaned, and Mr. Krantz winced. Hearing the song end, Mahiru groaned, and slowly sat up, watching as Kuro did the same. Looking at each other, Mahiru couldn’t help but break down snickering, while Kuro scratched the back of his head with a blush. Getting up, the teen stood side by side, and bowed slightly. “S-sorry Mr. Krantz…it was my mistake.”

“Don’t worry about it Mahiru…I’ll give you guys a B-, how’s that sound?” the teacher asked, giving them a soft smile. Hearing the grade, Kuro and Mahiru glanced at each other. Honestly, it was a lot higher than they expected, so they nodded. They would happily take that grade. Walking back towards their spots, the teens sat down and watched the rest of the class perform. And when everyone was done, and the bell rang, signaling class was over, Kuro was glad that they weren’t the only ones that messed up. Feeling a hand pat his back, Kuro turned his attention to Mahiru, who was getting up. Oh, right…class ended. Standing up, Kuro picked up his messenger bag, nodded at Mr. Krantz, and quickly walked out. Mahiru watched it, before looking at his teacher. “Mahiru. Good job pulling Kuro along with you when he was blacking out. For a last-minute thing, you thought awful fast. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks Mr. Krantz…and don’t worry, the next time we dance in front of everyone, I am sure that Kuro and I will not screw up,” the brunet exclaimed, pulling his string bag across his back. Mahiru grinned when the sandy-blond gave him a big thumbs up, before he walked out the classroom. Following the brunet out, Krantz watched as the teen ran up to Kuro, who actually waited for him. Smiling softly, the teacher sighed, and decided to get ready for his next class. Glancing up at Kuro, Mahiru grinned, before deciding something. “How about we go to the bakery again, and get some coffee. My treat!”

 

“Sure,” Kuro sighed, glancing away from Mahiru as the teen lit up. Watching the teen run ahead of him, the lazy teen sighed, and walked a bit faster to catch up with him. In all honesty, Kuro was glad Mahiru was there with him. He was actually able to pull him out of the darkness. Shaking his head, Kuro sighed as Mahiru started talking about the shorter café worker and how him and Lilly were basically best friends. Shaking his head, Kuro silently listened at the brunet rambled on and on about random things, and sometimes he would chime in quietly. Nodding at something else the happy brunet said, Kuro tried not to listen as one last thought flew through his head. “He will leave too…they all do.”


	4. Evil In The Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that I got Sakuya's maid dress description from my friend CrazyAnime3 on tumblr! You can go visit her in the link I will leave below, but the credit goes to her for the amazing drawing I was able to base this off of. Thanks so much for letting me use it CA3! And enjoy the chapter guys!
> 
> https://crazyanime3.tumblr.com/

Ever since Mahiru had helped him out of his own anxiety filled thoughts during their dance routine, Kuro was honestly embarrassed. It’s not like he didn’t appreciate the help, but why did he let the younger teen see him like that? It’s been a while since they got back to the dorm, but Kuro could not sleep for the life of him. Lying in bed, the teen stared up at his dark ceiling, thinking countless thoughts that he knew he shouldn’t be thinking. Groaning, Kuro stuffed his face in his warm pillow, and shut his eyes. He knew that going to bed with his dark thoughts was not going to be the best idea he’s had, but he knew that if he didn’t get any sleep tonight, he would be miserable tomorrow morning. So, with one last sigh, Kuro snuggled more into his blankets, and tried to quiet his dark thoughts as he fell into an uneasy slumber.

\------------------------

Mahiru sighed as he finally stripped off his clothing, and slid into another pair of orange flannel pajama bottoms, and a plain white t-shirt for bed. Throwing his clothes in his dirty hamper, the teen sighed, and pushed his hair back slightly. Walking over to his dresser, Mahiru picked up the one photo that was framed. It was a picture of his mother and him, from a long time ago. Pressing it to his chest lightly, Mahiru quietly stalked towards his bed, and laid down. Pulling the blanket up snuggly, the brunet laid the framed photo near his pillow, and looked at it longingly. Reaching over, the teen clicked off his bedside lamp, and laid his head down into the pillow, and gazed at the photo one last time. Feeling a lump in his throat, Mahiru slammed his eyes shut, and stuffed his face further into his pillow. Swallowing shakily, the brunet sighed, before closing his eyes. For once, his thoughts were not silent as the teen fell asleep with the thought of his mother in his mind.

\---------------------

“N-no…not them…please…D-don’t, I…FATHER!” Kuro yelled out, sitting up in the bed fast as his voice echoed around the room. Panting, the teen let his eyes circle around the room, feeling his whole body shaking. It…was just a nightmare. Swallowing, Kuro shakily pushed his hair out of his eyes, and realized how bad he was sweating. Taking a deep breath, Kuro clenched his hands together, and slammed his eyes back closed. It was a long time ago…it shouldn’t bug him anymore…but it still does. Shaking his head, the teen let out a shaky sigh, and laid back down, closing his eyes. He knew that if he fell back asleep, nightmares were just going to plague him again…but the exhaustion of not getting a good night sleep was already affecting him. “Such a pain…”

“Mahiru! Open the door! Please! For the love that is all mighty! OPEN THE DOOR!” Kuro groaned, letting his eyes open again slowly. Who the hell was banging on their front door?! Sitting up sluggishly, Kuro pushed the blankets out of his way, and slowly walked out of his dark, cold room. Opening the door, Kuro stepped out into the light filled hallway, and teen hissed slightly as the light temporarily blinded him. Hearing more pounding at the door, Kuro rubbed his eyes, and glanced around. Where was Mahiru? When the pounding stopped, the lazy teen heard the shower running, and that answered his last question. Now…who was pounding at the door, and why? When a more ferocious knocking started again, Kuro slowly made his way towards the door. “Thank god! You’ve got to help me, Mahi…ru?”

Blinking, Kuro came face to face with his dormmate’s best friend. What was his name? Sakuya? Yawning, Kuro sighed, before taking in the boy’s appearance, and as he did, the older teen was sure he was still dreaming. The green haired teen was wearing a maid’s costume, with a dark red cape, a dark pink apron, a white skirt, and white stockings. Even though the boy was wearing a long sleeved black and white striped shirt underneath it, Kuro could seriously not believe his eyes. Letting his eyes wander back up, Kuro noticed the frilly pink headband that Sakuya had around his head. Blinking, the older teen glanced back into the other teen’s confused light red eyes, and slowly backed away from the door, before slamming it right in Sakuya’s face.

“Kuro? Who’s at the door?” Mahiru asked, and Kuro spun around to see the brunet in a sleeveless shirt with light grey sweatpants on, and a towel around his neck. Reaching out, Kuro patted the teen’s shoulder, and when he figured out Mahiru was real, he sighed, and glanced back towards the door again. “Kuro?”

“You…might want to get that,” the older teen sighed out, walking back towards the lounge. Mahiru watched him leave, confused, but when Kuro stopped walking, and glanced back at him, the teen looked like he seen a ghost. “You shouldn’t leave the maid waiting.”

Maid? Obviously confused, Mahiru jumped slightly as another round of pounding started at the door, and with a sigh, the brunet opened it, and as he took in Sakuya’s appearance, he stopped. Looking the boy up and down, Mahiru pinched the bridge of his nose, and opened the door further. Getting the message, Sakuya quickly stumbled in, and Mahiru shut the door again. Blushing a little, Sakuya pulled at the skirt he was wearing, before sighing.

“Ya know, your dormmate slammed the door in my face,” Sakuya muttered, crossing his arms lightly over his chest. Rolling his eyes, Mahiru waved the teen in, and when they got into the lounge, Kuro glanced at them with a cereal spoon in his mouth. Averting his eyes, the older teen tried not to look at Sakuya, who was glaring at him lightly. “Thanks for letting me in…Tsubaki made me wear this for a role…but, I am pretty sure that’s not the only reason why.”

Hearing the name Tsubaki, Kuro flinched, and dropped his spoon. Hearing the clink of the utensil hitting the floor, Mahiru glanced at him, and noticed the panicked look that he had on his face. Bending down to grab the spoon, Kuro picked it up, and walked to the kitchen. The brunet watched this, before glancing back at Sakuya, who also looked confused. Shaking his head lightly, Mahiru sighed, before putting his hands on his hips. Seeing the motherly look Mahiru had on his face, Sakuya grinned lightly. 

“Now…where are your clothes? Do you have anything to wear besides this?” Mahiru sighed out, gesturing to the odd costume the other was wearing. Seeing Sakuya shake his head, Mahiru groaned, before glancing around. He knew where Sakuya’s dorm was, but would it be okay to just go there and leave Kuro with Sakuya. He knew that Kuro didn’t care for people, and the way the older teen reacted by slamming the door on his best friend, Mahiru didn’t think it was a good idea. But he also didn’t want Sakuya running around in the costume if it really embarrassed him. Sighing, the teen finally came to a conclusion. “Okay, I will let you stay here until I get some clothes from your dorm. Is the door opened?”

“Yeah! It should be! Thanks so much Mahiru!” Sakuya yelped, tackling the brunet into the hug. Hearing the commotion from the kitchen, Kuro quietly walked out of the kitchen, and watched as the green joker hugged the other. Feeling a slight twinge of something, Kuro bit his lip, and tried to keep a warning glare off his face. It’s not like he knew Sakuya, so why was he feeling this way. Shaking his head, Kuro walked back into the lounge, and sighed lightly, letting them know he appeared again. “Looks like I’ll be keeping you company for a while, while Mahiru here goes to get some of my clothes for me. Let’s get along nicely until then!”

Narrowing his eyes lightly, Kuro scoffed, but wiped the sneer off his face as Mahiru gave him a warning look. Sighing, Kuro nodded stiffly, and slowly walked back towards the couch. Maybe anime could distract him a little. Hearing Mahiru announce his goodbye, Kuro muttered his bye as well, and the dorm grew quiet with the only sound being the screams of agony that were playing on the anime. Sakuya glanced at the older teen, before slowly walking over, and sitting down a seat away from him. Feeling the joker sit down on the couch, Kuro unconsciously tensed, and his jaw clenched. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a butcher knife. Letting his eyes wander, Sakuya took in the way Kuro was glaring at the screen.

“So…you and Mahiru huh? How’d that happen?” Sakuya asked, lying back against the couch more so that he could look at the silent teen more. Tensing his fists into his pajama bottoms, Kuro let out a small breath through his nose, before turning lightly, and staring Sakuya down. Grinning when he got the other’s attention, Sakuya let a smirk rise on his face, and when Kuro noticed it, his eyes narrowed into slits almost. “Whatever, it’s not like he actually likes you anyway. He’s probably just being polite.”

“Shut up you clown…you don’t know anything,” Kuro growled out, and Sakuya’s smirk suddenly got wiped off his face. The teen absolutely looked murderous now. Shifting lightly at the air Sakuya gave off, Kuro rolled his eyes, trying not to show how anxious the teen’s expression was making him. He really didn’t want to fight, but something about how the teen acted just made his blood boil, and his nerves rise. “Mahiru is a nice person…and I like him…he said we were friends…”

“Oh really, are you sure that he wasn’t just saying that to get you to relax around him? After all, you’re not the easiest person to get along with, right?” Sakuya snarled out, smirking more as he saw the older teen’s expression harden. Growling, Kuro stood up, ready to just head back to his room, but as he stood, Sakuya stood up as well. And even though the teen was in that ridiculous outfit, he still looked really intimidating. Glaring at the other, Sakuya crossed his arms, and glared. “Sit down. We are talking, and even though you don’t like it…it’s the truth, isn’t it?”

Kuro growled, and backed away slightly. He just wanted to get away, was that too hard to ask for. He knew that he shouldn’t believe what the stupid clown was saying, but since the dark thoughts of what Mahiru thinks of him, if he was going to leave him like everyone else did, or if he was really being polite and he actually didn’t want to be friends, Kuro really couldn’t help but believe everything Sakuya has been telling him. Tensing his fists, Kuro turned his back to the other, and went to go back to his room to dwell further on those thoughts, but as he turned, something Sakuya said made him freeze in his tracks.

“After all, if what Tsubaki said was true about what you did, no wonder you won’t open up to Mahiru. If he found out, who knows…maybe he would leave you and you won’t have anyone else here that even likes you and keeps you company…isn’t that right, Sleepy Ash.”

\----------------------

Mahiru sighed as he quickly jogged towards Sakuya’s dorm. In all honesty, he knew that he should’ve just sent Sakuya back with him, but maybe keeping the teen with Kuro would help the lazy teen open up a bit more. Taking a turn down the hallway, the brunet noticed Sakuya’s dorm number, but…there was someone else standing there, looking confused. Slowly down, Mahiru blinked, before completely stopping as the other turned to look at him when they noticed him. Freezing lightly at the sight of another pair of red eyes, Mahiru swallowed nervously, and walked right in front of him. The other boy had shoulder length black hair with a pair of sunglasses resting at the top of his head, the same red eyes as Kuro and Lilly, and he was wearing a black t-shirt, with black skinny jeans…and were those sandals? 

“U-um…are you looking for someone?” Mahiru asked, pausing slightly as the teen looked him up and down. Something about this guy did not sit well with the brunet. Glancing towards the door, Mahiru slowly reached out, and turned the door knob. When the door opened, Mahiru stepped in Sakuya’s dorm, and glanced around. There were acting scripts lying every, along with so many costumes that the brunet could feel his cleaning senses tingling. Rolling his eyes, the teen sighed, before glancing behind him. “Well…um. If you’re looking for Sakuya…he’s not here. I just got a text from him asking to get him some clothes for some odd reason…”

“Oh really,” the teen sighed, walking in slightly to glance around. Stepping away, Mahiru nodded, before quickly fleeing to the green haired teen’s bedroom. Stepping in, the brunet was happy to see that at least this part of his dorm was clean. Running around, Mahiru grabbed a pair of beige jeans, black socks, and one of Sakuya’s favorite converse. The firefly green ones were sort of odd, but since Sakuya loved them, Mahiru knew he should bring them. Wrapping them in his arms, Mahiru gently kicked the teen’s door shut, before walking back towards the exit of his dorm. “Are you really sure you don’t know where he is?”

“O-oh! No…I am just going to take this back to my place and wait…I think he’s pretty busy performing or something…” Mahiru trailed off as the teen observed him more. Was something wrong? Swallowing, the brunet nodded, and walked out, tensing slightly as the mysterious teen followed him out. Shutting the door, Mahiru glanced at the other again, before nodding. “Okay. Um…thanks for helping me, I guess. Uh…I’m Mahiru…and you are?”

“Hmm…not like it matters. But I’m Tsubaki, and if you see Sakuya, let him know I am looking for him,” the teen sighed, and Mahiru blinked as the name processed in his mind. Tsubaki? That’s the name that Sakuya usually mentioned sometimes. Swallowing, Mahiru nodded again, before turning around. He just wanted to get away because something about him was odd, and he just wanted to get away. “Oh, and say hi to Sleepy Ash for me.”

Freezing, Mahiru spun around, but as he glanced at Sakuya’s door, Tsubaki was no longer there. Clutching the items to his chest closer, Mahiru bit his lip, and quickly fled the scene. How did Tsubaki know Kuro? Why did he use Kuro’s actual name? What did he know? Shaking his head, the brunet took a deep breath, before focusing on getting back to Sakuya and Kuro. Something wasn’t sitting well with him, and he just wanted to get back before anything else happens.

\-----------------------------------

“S-shut up!” Kuro growled out, back away more. Gritting his teeth, Kuro pulled his shoulders up, and to Sakuya, it almost looked like he was trying to close himself off. Grinning, the green haired teen stepped closer until they were almost nose to nose, and Kuro’s glare heightened tenfold. “Get away from me…you know nothing about w-what happened! Just get away!”

“Oh trust me, I know more then you let on…you see, Tsubaki wants revenge, and he’s not going to stop at you…” Sakuya whispered out, and Kuro’s eyes widened. T-Tsubaki…why did that name make nerves fly up his spine. Tensing his hands into fists until they were pure white. Sakuya looked the teen up and down, and noticed he was trembling…good. “He is going to go after all your siblings until there’s only you left…”

Hearing enough, Kuro stood up tall, unlike his regular hunched form, and Sakuya found himself with a clenched fist holding his maid costume by its collar, and a face full of raging Kuro. Feeling himself getting lifted, the teen swallowed, and smirked at Kuro. The older teen looked absolutely furious. A dark air was around him that Sakuya never felt before, but it wasn’t as bad as Tsubaki’s. Grabbing the teen’s arm that was holding him, Sakuya laughed menacingly, and cocked his head to the side, staring into Kuro’s dark with anger eyes. 

“Oh? And what are you going to do? Mahiru should be back any moment, are you going to allow him to see this part of you?” Hearing this, Kuro felt his anger dwell slightly, and with a hiss, he let the teen go, and Sakuya found himself back on his feet. Brushing himself off, the green haired teen crossed his arms again, and smirked. He could still feel the murderous intent spewing from Kuro, but the thought of Mahiru seemed to stop him slightly. “Tsubaki was right. You have no fight in you after the incident…huh. I guess you are the disgrace to your whole family. No wonder some of your siblings hate you.”

“SHUT THE HELL UP!” Kuro roared, and Sakuya felt his eyes widen as the teen’s voice actually echoed loudly around the room. Tensing, the teen watched as Kuro’s form seemed to bristle in anger, as he stared at him. The teen’s features were completely formed into a cold sneer, and his eyes were even darker as they were. Good…now if his calculations were correct, Mahiru should be right outside the dorm. “YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED! I HAD TO DO IT! IF I DIDN’T…he would’ve…JUST…GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!”

“Kuro?” Pausing in his furious rage, Kuro spun around, and settled his glare on Mahiru. Feeling the burning rage leave like it was drowned in ice cold water, Kuro immediately quieted down, and stared at the silent brunet with guilt. Blinking, Mahiru glanced around. It didn’t seem like they had a physical fight…so why was Kuro yelling. He literally has not heard Kuro ever yell that way…and he didn’t ever hear the teen sound so heartbroken either. Frowning, the brunet shook his head, before walking more into the lounge, and up to Sakuya, who didn’t even look surprised. “Here. Put these on in my room. I need to talk to Kuro.”

Seeing him nod, Mahiru watched as Sakuya left, and when his bedroom door shut, the teen sighed, before glancing at Kuro. The older teen was hunched over again, with his bangs covering his eyes, and his face downward. Biting the inside of his cheek, Mahiru quietly stepped closer to the teen, and when he was right in front of him, he saw Kuro’s body trembling. Sighing, Mahiru reached up gently, and swept Kuro’s bangs aside, noticing that the lazy teen had his eyes clenched shut. Cupping his cheeks, Mahiru brought his face up more, and rubbed his thumbs over the teen’s cheeks. Kuro was pale as a ghost, and the bags under his eyes seemed to stick out more. Did he get any sleep last night?

“Kuro…please look at me…open your eyes,” the brunet asked softly, brushing more of the blue hair out of his face. Kuro shook his head lightly, and took a shaky breath. Mahiru frowned, and gently scratched as the teen’s head. What did Sakuya and him talk about to lead Kuro to yelling and getting like this. Noticing that the other was relaxing slightly, Mahiru’s frown dropped slightly, and he decided to try again. “Come on Kuro…please look at me.”

Watching as Kuro’s eyelids flickered, and the teen slowly opened his eyes, Mahiru frowned when he noticed that the older teen’s eyes seemed murky with liquid. Sighing, the brunet brought Kuro closer until his face was in the other shoulder, and Mahiru was able to gently scratch at the back of his head. Tensing slightly, Kuro trembled a bit more, until he wrapped his arms around the smaller teen’s waist, and stuffed his face more into the warm neck. Feeling the small amount of water sliding down his neck, Mahiru rubbed his fingers down Kuro’s back, trying his best to soothe the shaky teen. 

“Mahiru, thanks for the clothes…I,” Sakuya cheered, as he walked back out of the brunet’s room, but as he did, he took in the scene. Mahiru shushed him slightly as he felt the older teen tense up again. Feeling anger bristle in him, Sakuya swallowed it down, and was glad he took up the acting major. Putting a small smile on his face, Sakuya nodded, and slowly walked towards the door. Mahiru watched, and when the green haired teen waved to him slightly, the brunet smiled, and used his free hand to wave back. “Thanks again, Mahiru!”

“Okay Kuro, he’s gone…it’s okay,” Mahiru whispered in Kuro’s ear, and when the other teen heard their dorm door shut, he nodded slightly, and the brunet allowed him to pull away. Cupping his cheeks again, Mahiru wiped at the slight tear tracks until they were gone, and Kuro wrapped his hands softly around the brunet’s wrists. Mahiru nodded, feeling satisfied, before smiling softly at Kuro, who swallowed anxiously as he saw the kind smile. “What happened Kuro? I’ve never seen you look so upset, are you okay?”

_Why is he asking about me? Shouldn’t he be concerned about Sakuya? Why is he smiling at me…shouldn’t he be angry at me? Was everything that green joker said true? Is he just being polite? Does he really want to be my friend? I don’t know what to believe anymore._

“Kuro?” the brunet asked, and Kuro zoned back on the other, and noticed the concerned expression on the teen’s face. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Kuro slowly removed Mahiru’s warm hands from his face, and backed away lightly. Noticing this, Mahiru dropped his arms to his sides, and tried not to feel the slight sting of pain. Why did Kuro back away? What happened while he was gone? “U-um…You don’t have to tell me now, I guess. But we should really get some breakfast started. What do you want?”

“Hmm…sorry Mahiru. I’m not really hungry right now…I’m going to lay back down for a little while,” Kuro mumbled out, not looking into the other’s chestnut eyes. Mahiru blanked lightly at what Kuro just said. He’s not hungry? But before the brunet could say anything, Kuro was already across the room, and near his bedroom. “…Sorry…”

Standing in the middle of the lounge, Mahiru listened to the teen’s door shut softly, before walking zombie-like to the couch, and falling on it. Grabbing two pillows, the brunet put on under his head, and clutched the other to his chest. Why did it seem like Kuro wanted to get away from him? Sighing, Mahiru buried his face into the couch’s pillow, letting the soft fabric catch the tears that were suddenly leaking out of his eyes. What can he do to fix this? Meanwhile, in Kuro’s room, the teen fell on his butt against the door, and brought his knees to his chest. Pressing his face in them, Kuro hugged them harder, and bit his lip so hard the copper taste of blood entered his mouth. Great…he hurt Mahiru…again. Shutting his eyes, the teen let the dark thoughts that were circling him in his head, and for once, since he met Mahiru, he believed every word they said.

**“YOU’RE A MONSTER. YOU HURT HIM AGAIN. SAKUYA WAS RIGHT ABOUT YOU. IF ANYONE HEARS WHAT YOU DID TO YOUR OWN FATHER…THEY’LL ALL BE AFRAID OF YOU. YOUR SIBLINGS HAVE A RIGHT TO HATE YOU. YOU’RE A DISGRACE. MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST DISAPPEAR, AND DO MAHIRU A FAVOR. HE IS JUST BEING NICE TO YOU. YOU DON’T DESERVE WHAT HE DOES FOR YOU ON A DAILY BASIS. JUST A PLAIN OUT MONSTER. MAYBE YOU SHOULD’VE BEEN THE ONE TO…”**

“N-no,” Kuro whispered out, clutching his hands over his ears, even though it wouldn’t keep the voice out. Hearing its menacing voice still ringing in his head, Kuro fell on his side, and let out a choked sob. Why now…why him. Pressing his face more into his bedroom’s rug, Kuro clenched his fingers into his hair, hearing the voice get worse and worse with every passing moment. “M-Mahiru…”

\----------------------------------

“So, were you able to speak to my dear older brother…Sakuya?” someone asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at the green haired teen. Sakuya picked up the last of his scripts that were on the floor, before he faced the other. Seeing the teen nod, the other grinned evilly before breaking into an obnoxious laughter that Sakuya cringing. “Good…now. How come you took off that costume?”

“Shut it Tsubaki,” Sakuya growled, and Tsubaki broke out into another fit of laughter. Rolling his eyes, Sakuya sat in the seat that was away from the other, and when his door got slammed open, he growled. Three more people came springing in, and when the door shut. Sakuya sighed. Why did he bother? “Okay…Tsubaki. Everyone’s here, why did you bring them to my dorm, and not yours?”

“Yeah…everyone’s here...okay,” Tsubaki mumbled out, letting his red eyes circle around the room. Tsubaki grinned before crossing his leg over the other, and wringing his hands together. Sakuya glanced at him, and noticed the scheming look the other was getting in his eyes. What did he have planned? “I want to teach my siblings a lesson…they all forgot about me…especially Sleepy Ash. The only way to get to him…is to reach out to the others…are you guys ready to start some havoc?”

Hearing the cheers and whistles, and the silent yesses echo around the room, Tsubaki grinned, before breaking out into his known laughter. Great. Everything was going as planned. Talking about their plan some more, the group decided to aim for the youngest brother first. When the meeting was done, and Sakuya kicked everyone out of his dorm, Tsubaki stood in the middle of the hallway, and waved goodbye to his precious group members. When he was completely alone, Tsubaki smirked, and a murderous aura surrounded his whole body. Sleepy Ash was going to pay for what he did. Breaking into more laughter, Tsubaki left towards his own dorm, letting his thoughts about revenge swirl around his mind. 

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAHAHHAHAHAHAAhahahaha…not interesting at all…”


	5. Story Of Our Lives

When Mahiru woke up, he groaned, and slowly sat up. Feeling the pillow, he had clutched to his chest earlier, fall to the ground, the brunet rubbed his eyes, and winced as they felt raw. Sniffing, the teen stood up, and wrapped his arm around his stomach. Why was he so hungry? Oh…wait. He didn’t eat. Glancing around, Mahiru noticed the dorm was oddly quiet, meaning no anime was playing on the television, and the shower wasn’t running. Biting his lip, the brunet stumbled towards the kitchen, and when he noticed that no dirty dishes were in the sink, the teen came to the conclusion that Kuro had not woken up yet to eat. Swallowing, Mahiru turned back towards the lounge. What time was it? Walking to his room, the brunet opened the door, and glanced around for his cellphone. Finding it on his bedside table, Mahiru picked it up, and typed in the code. The clock told him it was currently one pm. Blinking, the teen sighed, and scratched the back of his head. Slipping the phone in his pants pocket, the brunet picked up his mother’s photo off his bed, and placed it back on his dresser.

“Oh mom…what do I do?” the teen asked, staring at the photo like it had all the answers he needed. Shaking his head, Mahiru turned back towards his door, and walked back into the bright hallway. Glancing at Kuro’s door, the brunet held his breath. Should he knock on the door and wake Kuro up, or should he leave the teen alone? Kuro didn’t seem like he wanted to talk before. Shaking his head, Mahiru made up his mind, and walked towards Kuro’s door. Knocking on it, Mahiru listened for any sign that Kuro was awake. “Kuro…I-it’s me. Are you okay?”

Hearing nothing, Mahiru frowned, and slowly reached for the door knob. Turning it, the brunet realized it wasn’t locked, so he slowly opened the door, and quietly stepped in. Swallowing, Mahiru glanced around the dark room. Garbage laid all over the floor, along with countless mangas, and other things that made the teen’s nose scrunch up. Shaking his head, Mahiru slowly looked around, and when he didn’t see Kuro in his bed, he furrowed his brow. Taking another step forward, Mahiru yelped when he almost stepped on something, before jumping over whatever it was. Kneeling down, Mahiru looked at whatever he tripped on, and when he noticed it was Kuro, he slapped a hand over his mouth, and fell backwards on his butt. Crawling over to his head, Mahiru pushed the blue hair away and looked at his face.

“Oh Kuro,” Mahiru whispered, taking in the way the teen’s face was basically creamy white, the bags under his eyes were dark and bigger than ever, and overall, Kuro just looked like shit. Frowning, Mahiru sighed, and gently shook the teen’s shoulder. Even in his sleep, Kuro was tense as hell. “Kuro…wake up. You really should eat something. Come on, wake up!”

“W-what…Mahiru?” Kuro whimpered out, slowly opening his eyes to see a blurry version of the brunet. Sitting up a little, Kuro yawned, and rubbed his eyes. Mahiru frowned as he noticed that the older boy’s eyes were red and raw from crying, and there were dry tear stains on his pale cheeks. Glancing around, Kuro slowly became aware that they both were in his room, and he blinked. Mahiru…was in his room. Opening his eyes wide, Kuro looked at the other, and noticed how the brunet was looking at him with a deep concern in the chestnut eyes. “W-what are you doing in my room?”

“O-oh um…you sort of weren’t answering me, so I wanted to make sure you were okay…” Mahiru stuttered out, slowly standing up as Kuro did the same. Sighing, Kuro glanced around, before rubbing the back at his head. He shouldn’t be mad…after all, he went into Mahiru’s room…but still. Seeing the anxiety rising on Kuro, Mahiru glanced at the floor. He knew that he shouldn’t be hurt…but still. Noticing the look on the brunet’s face, Kuro relaxed slightly, and put his hand on the other’s shoulder. Feeling the touch, Mahiru glanced back up. “I’m sorry Kuro…I was just worried about you…do you think you can talk about…what happened?”

Biting the inside of his cheek and glancing down, Kuro knew that he should, but…Sighing, the teen decided he should at least try, right? But…what if Sakuya was right? Mahiru watched as Kuro seemed to fight to make up his mind, and waited patiently. Okay…he would open about some things…but not everything. Swallowing, Kuro glanced back up at Mahiru, and nodded slightly. Seeing the brunet smile lightly, Kuro blushed lightly, and looked away. If that was all it took to make the boy happy, Kuro wanted to keep doing it…but he knew he was comfortable with sharing everything just yet. Feeling a hand wrap around his wrist gently, the older teen felt Mahiru carefully pull him around his littered floor, and out into the hallway. Closing his eyes, Kuro hissed lightly as the lights hurt his eyes, before rubbing them.

“Go sit on the couch, I’m going to go make some breakfast for us, and after we’re done eating, we can talk…okay?” Mahiru asked, and when Kuro sat on the couch, and nodded softly, the boy smiled softly, and walked into the kitchen. It was sort of late, so he guessed making microwavable ramen wouldn’t hurt. Putting the ramen in two separate bowls, the teen placed them in the microwave and waited. Once both were done, Mahiru slowly brought them in the lounge, and when Kuro smelled beef, he perked up, and both of them heard his stomach protest loudly. Giggling lightly, Mahiru handed the teen his bowl, before sitting down. “Okay, dig in.”

Chowing down, Mahiru watched as Kuro literally took huge bites, and stuffed his mouth with whatever he could, before chewing and swallowing. Was he that hungry? Swallowing whatever was in his mouth, Mahiru sucked in more noodles, and when they both had only broth left, both teens brought the bowl up to their mouths, and gulped down the lukewarm liquid. Letting out sighs of satisfaction, the two glanced at each other. Mahiru smiled at Kuro, and gently took the bowl out of his hand. Watching the brunet walk back towards the kitchen, Kuro softly rubbed his belly, and laid back against the couch. Hearing Mahiru’s soft footsteps coming back towards him, Kuro glanced in his direction, and watched as the brunet sat on the couch next to him.

“Okay…we ate. Are you sure you’re okay with sharing with me?” Mahiru sighed, as he sat down, and looked into Kuro’s red eyes. Seeing him nod, the brunet could still feel the nerves radiating off the other. Taking a deep breath, Kuro gently tapped on his ankles as he turned to face the brunet. Noticing this, Mahiru reached out, and gently wrung their hands together. Jumping lightly, Kuro froze lightly, and   
glanced down at their hands. Mahiru’s hand was warm, and without meaning to, Kuro felt his body relax. “How about I go first?”

“U-um…are you sure?” Kuro asked, glancing back at the other’s calming chestnut eyes. Seeing Mahiru nod, Kuro sighed, before doing the same. Smiling lightly, Mahiru tightened his grip on Kuro’s hand softly, before taking a calming breath. Seeing the brunet hesitating on something made Kuro realize that this might be a tough subject to talk about. “Well…since you went in my room…I’m pretty sure you noticed the photo of a woman and me? Well…that woman was my mother. She…passed away when I was really young. We were going back to my house, and on our way back, it started to downpour, and a huge storm just came out of nowhere…”

Noticing the brunet pause, Kuro slowly tightened their touching hands, and Mahiru smiled sadly. He knew that sharing this was going to be hard, but maybe it would make Kuro’s sharing session a little easier on him. Sighing, Mahiru slowly looked back into Kuro’s red eyes, and when he saw a slight twinge of concern, he couldn’t help but smile. Kuro was worried about him. Sighing again, Mahiru swallowed the lump in his throat, before continuing where he left off.

“Well…on our way back up…A car came speeding down the road, and since it was dark, even though the car had its headlights on, it didn’t see us. My mother shielded me, and…the car hit her. She…passed away on the way to the hospital,” Mahiru sighed out, feeling the prickling behind his eyes. Closing them, Mahiru let out a shaky breath, and glanced away from Kuro to look at the ceiling. “It was during her funeral that my Uncle decided to take me in…he didn’t really know how to raise a kid…but we both made it work…it’s thanks to him that I had a home because no one wanted to take me in.”

“M-Mahiru…” Kuro whispered, and when the brunet looked at him, he saw the brave chestnut eyes looking watery. Blinking, Kuro slowly reached out with his free hand, and gently wiped the teen’s tears away. Taking a surprised intake of breath, Mahiru leaned into his touch, and let out a watery sigh. Once all his tears were gone, and the brunet looked more composed, Kuro took his hand back. “Uh...if its anything…she would be proud of you...”

Smiling softly at what the older teen said, Mahiru nodded, and released the tight grip he had on Kuro’s hand. Feeling the brunet thread their fingers together, Kuro flushed, before glancing down at his feet. He knew it was his turn now…but how was he going to explain about his siblings? Glancing up at Mahiru under his blue fringe, Kuro noticed that the other was waiting patiently. Sighing, Kuro slowly rose his head, and took a deep breath. It was only fair since Mahiru shared something from his past. Shaking his thoughts away, Kuro stared determinedly at the brunet. He was going to do this.

“Okay…is it okay if I share something…kind of medium like? I don’t think I’m ready to share everything yet…” Kuro asked, biting his lip. Mahiru smiled at him, and nodded. He was proud of Kuro even if he couldn’t share everything just yet. Seeing the nod, Kuro let out a sigh of relief, and thought. How was he going to say this? “U-um…well. You know how I have a brother right? Lilly. Well…it’s not my only sibling. I have six other siblings. They’re all younger than me…”

Six? Mahiru paused lightly, taking in what Kuro just said. Thinking back to Lilly, he blinked. That was one…but who were the other five? Was one of them Tsubaki. Shivering lightly as he remembered the other male, Mahiru swallowed, before glancing back at Kuro. Seeing the confused expression the brunet had on his face, Kuro nodded lightly, and glanced around. He knew that it would take a little while to process. Mahiru frowned as he tried to remember anyone else. It seemed like all his siblings had mysterious red eyes. Who else did he come in contact with that had red eyes? Thinking back to his first day, Mahiru realized that the dude being chased had red eyes. Was he one of Kuro’s brothers?

“I suppose I should tell you their names? But only on one condition…other than Lilly and a few others, you need to stay away from them…please don’t ask me what, just agree!” Kuro asked, giving the brunet a serious face. Why did he not want him near them? Deciding to trust Kuro, Mahiru nodded, and Kuro let out a breath. “Okay…the second oldest is Hugh. He’s in a different college to become a history teacher, if you ever meet him, just prepare for him to go over the existence of vampires…he loves that kind of stuff. The third eldest is Jeje. He’s here…I’m pretty sure, but he’s trying to take up the sculpting major. You can go near him, but it’s not like he would talk to you, he’s oddly…quiet. Then there’s my only sister. She’s the fourth oldest. She likes being called Mother…I really don’t know why, but I would not deny her…she’s…intense. The fifth oldest is Hyde…or Lawless. Don’t go near him…he’s unpredictable, and can get you in a lot of trouble. The sixth oldest it well…just call him WH…it means World Hunger…Don’t ask! And since you already met Lilly, I don’t need to explain him.”

“U-uh…wow…” Mahiru yelped, trying to go over everything Kuro just said. Six younger siblings. But…where was Tsubaki? He wanted to ask, but he also wanted to know why he couldn’t go near Lawless. What happened to make Kuro say that? Seeing Mahiru’s shocked expression, Kuro glanced at the floor, and took his hand away from Mahiru’s. Not feeling Kuro’s cold hand anymore, Mahiru focused back on the older teen, and noticed he was rubbing his arm nervously. Shaking his thoughts away, Mahiru went back to processing what the other told him. “Okay, so you are the older brother of six siblings. You, Hugh, Jeje, Mother, Lawless, WH, and Lilly. If I ever meet them, I can go near most of them, but not Lawless because apparently, he’s trouble…Okay, I got it.”

Seeing the determined expression, Kuro nodded slightly, and he was secretly glad that Mahiru was able to pick everything up so fast. Seeing Kuro’s face light up, Mahiru smiled, and sighed. He was awfully drained. Kuro noticed this, and glanced at the clock. They were literally sharing their pasts for almost an hour and a half. The clock read two forty-five pm. Rubbing his eyes, Kuro stood up, and slowly walked towards the door. Noticing this, Mahiru glanced up, and when Kuro turned back to look at him, Mahiru noticed that he was looking a bit better then before.

“U-um…want to go out to visit Lilly again?” Kuro asked, slipping on his now dry boots. Mahiru blinked, before glancing down at their attire. The both of them were still in their pajamas…but right now, that didn’t matter to the brunet, because Misono’s vanilla cappuccino was calling his name. Smiling, Mahiru nodded, and launched himself off the couch. Jogging up to Kuro, the teen slipped on his sandals, and smiled up at the older teen. “O-okay, let’s go then.”

\-----------------------------

“You know I didn’t mean it like that, but you just need to get along better with him…Licht, listen to me. You should know how Lawless is!” Krantz sighed, taking in the way the teen was playing his piano. The boy had shoulder length black hair, with one mysterious white stripe going down the left side. He was wearing a black hoodie, with white skinny jeans, along with huge black boots. A strong melody flowed through the air as the teen lost himself in the music with cold blue eyes. Once the song ended, Licht turned around, and stared at his uncle. “It’s just, you can’t go around kicking him into other people’s classrooms! You literally have no idea how many times I’ve had to keep you from getting in trouble!”

“Sorry Uncle,” Licht sighed, glaring at the floor. He knew that he should be thank the other for getting them both out of trouble, but whenever he saw the Shit Rat, he couldn’t help the angry that flew through him. Shaking his head, Licht glanced up at his uncle, and saw that Krantz’s glare lightened a bit. Sighing, Licht glanced back at the music sheets he put together. He knew it would be fine now, he would pass his class with a high grade. Reaching out, the teen gently placed the sheets in his folder, before placing it inside his angel wing backpack. Standing up, Licht swung the bag across his back, and stuffed his hands in his hoodie pockets. “Speaking of the Shit Rat, where is he, do you know?”

Seeing the sandy-blond shake his head, Licht growled, before stomping out of the music room. If that blond was doing anything to get himself into trouble, Licht was going to kick his ass so hard that the other would not be able to sit or even dance for a week. Seeing the expression on his nephew’s face, Krantz pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh, before following the other out of the room. He knew if he didn’t follow him, and Licht found Lawless, without him around, they would cause more trouble, and Krantz was not sure he would be able to help them this time around. 

\---------------------------------

Yawning lightly, Lawless sighed. He was bored as hell. Since Licht was busy with piano practice, there was nothing to do. Not that it stopped him to interrupt the teen’s practice, but since the blond was away from C3 University, he really didn’t feel like taking the trip back. Glancing around, the teen watched as people walked by him. There were couples, children, and a lot of roller bladers. Grinning, Lawless was wondering how far the people would fly of he tripped them. Laughing at the thought, the blond stood up off the bench he was lying on, before walking out of the park. Besides people watching, there wasn’t much to do there anyways. Pushing his glasses up on his face more, Lawless stuffed his hands in his pants pocket, and walked back a bunch of people. 

“Ah…this is boring. How hard is it to have some fun now a-days?” Lawless asked himself, as he crossed the street. Hmm…there was the café he could go to. It was fun messing with the short worker there. Grinning, Lawless decided he should do it again, but as he walked passed the buildings windows, the blond stopped and looked inside. “Oh? What do we have here?”

Glancing in, Lawless immediately saw Kuro. Feeling the hate and anger bristling in him, the blond stomped towards the door, and put his hand on the knob. Stopping, the blond stared at the door. He wanted to confront him…but alone. If he was going to cause trouble, he wanted to do it when it was just the two of them. Otherwise, his fun would be stopped before it could even get started. Sighing, Lawless let go of the doorknob, and stepped away from the door. Not now. Walking past one the window again, Lawless stared at Kuro again, but blinked in surprise as a brunet walked up to his older brother and sat down. Kuro looked happy…even if he wasn’t smiling, and that made Lawless furious. Glaring now, the blond continued to walk past the café, and as he stared at the ground, a malicious smirk rose on his face.

“What a twist of fate that I meet big brother at a time like this.”

\-----------------------------

Kuro watched as Mahiru sat down, and smiled at him. Glancing away, Kuro blushed, before a sudden feeling hit him. What? Turning around, Kuro glanced out the café window, but no one was there. Swallowing, the teen swerved around again, and glanced down at the hot cocoa that Lilly made him. Was he just imagining that? Or not? Who was looking at him…and why did it feel so…evil? Shaking his head, Kuro took a careful sip, and when Mahiru turned to look at him, he snorted. Blinking, Kuro glanced down at his nose, and even though it was blurry, he could still see some whip-cream attached to his nose, and on his upper lip. Glaring lightly at the snickering brunet, Kuro went to wipe it away with his hand, but froze when Mahiru beat him to it.

“There!” The brunet snickered out as he cleaned off Kuro’s face with a napkin. Blinking, Kuro quickly turned his face down to his drink again. Mahiru snickered some more as he saw the older teen’s ears and neck turning a bright red. “All clean!”

“Ugh…can’t deal.”


	6. Light Em' Up

“Hey, we’re actually almost off the clock, do you guys want to go to a hot spring that’s nearby?” Glancing up, Mahiru took another sip of his cappuccino, and thought about what Lilly just asked them. A hot spring? Hmm…Glancing at Kuro, Mahiru noticed that he looked like he liked the idea. Seeing him nod, the brunet glanced back up at Lilly, and nodded. “Great! I’ll go tell Misono and Tetsu! It’ll be so much fun!”

Watching the blond practically dance away, Mahiru snickered, before looking over at Kuro again. He seemed like he had a lot of stuff on his mind, and maybe the hot spring would make him relax more. Feeling eyes on him, Kuro shook himself from his thoughts, and glanced at Mahiru. He was observing him closely. Swallowing, Kuro gave him a little wave, and when Lilly and the other two came out of the back wearing their street clothes, he sighed. Mahiru smiled at them, and slowly stood up off the stool. 

“So like, does this place close now? Or is someone else coming in to run it?” Mahiru asked, letting Tetsu take his and Kuro’s empty cups. Hearing the doorbell jingle, the brunet glanced towards the door, and noticed a few more workers coming in. One had long blond hair, the second had short reddish-brown hair, the third had weird yellow eyes and black hair. Blinking, Mahiru glanced at Lilly, who looked a little worried. “Who are they, and why does the shortest one look like trouble?” 

“They are the afternoon employees…if you want to avoid trouble, only come in the morning to see us…please,” Misono sighed, crossing his arms. Walking passed them, Mahiru noticed the shortest male give Kuro a weird look, which made the oldest teen shift closer to him. Frowning, Mahiru gently pushed Kuro ahead of him, and stared the other down. Seeing him grin, the brunet wanted to ask their names, but when Misono called him, he turned his back to them, and walked out. “Don’t even try to talk to them. Unless you want the freaky one to learn everything about you…and I mean EVERYTHING.”

Nodding slightly, Mahiru glanced back at the café, before turning to look at Kuro. The older teen seemed like he was a little unnerved. Gently tapping the teen’s wrists, Mahiru tried to give him a comforting smile, and when Kuro blushed, and glanced away, the brunet grinned even more. Even though he was blushing, Kuro’s body looked a little more relaxed than it did when they got out. It was true that Mahiru had a lot of questions about the trio, but as Misono said, he really didn’t want that weird one to learn everything about him. Sighing, Mahiru focused back into the other’s conversation. 

“You guys are going to love the hot spring, my family sort of runs it,” Tetsu explained, once they got to the good sized building. Glancing up, Mahiru and Kuro felt their jaws almost drop at the size. Wait…Tetsu’s family runs this?! Shaking out of their surprised, the two slowly followed as Lilly and Misono entered the door, and as they got in, Mahiru yelped as someone ran passed him, and flew at Tetsu. 

“Tetsu! There you are! I was looking for you, did you just get out of work?” the boy asked, pushing the glasses up on his face. Tetsu nodded, and slowly allowed the small male to climb up on his shoulders. Once he was sat, the boy glanced around at the guests, and gasped as he took in Kuro. “Well…if it isn’t Sleepy Ash. Haven’t seen you in a while brother.”

“W-what?!” Mahiru yelped out, looking up at the other. This was one of Kuro’s brothers? Glancing at Kuro, the brunet noticed that Kuro wasn’t really looking thrilled. Kuro nodded at his younger brother, and waved. Blinking, Mahiru shook his head, and looked over the younger brother. He looked nothing like Kuro, but the same red eyes seemed to be sizing him up. “U-um…which one are you?”

“That’s Hugh…the second oldest of this…family,” Kuro sighed out, scratching the back of his head. Mahiru nodded, and looked the other teen over again. He was kind of short, which was honestly surprising. Kuro, when standing up straight, towered over almost everyone but Testu and Lilly. Shaking the thought away, the brunet smiled, and held out his hand. Shaking hands, Mahiru thought about how tiny his hand was, but dismissing the thought, he glanced at Kuro. “Can we go to the hot spring now?”

Nodding, Testu and Hugh walked towards back, and lead the group towards the back. Feeling the air starting to get hot, Mahiru pulled lightly at the collar of his sleeveless shirt, and blew out a small breath. Once they were in the locker rooms, Tetsu handed them white towels for their waists, before walking over to his changing area to get out of his clothes. Mahiru hung the towel on the hanger, before slipping off his shirt, and slowly letting his pants hit the floor. Folding them up, the brunet glanced to his left, and saw Kuro slipping off his pants as well. Swallowing, Mahiru took a deep breath, before pulling his boxers down. Quickly grabbing the towel, the brunet quickly wrapped it around his face with a flush slowly flooding his cheeks. Glancing to the side again, Mahiru almost yelped as he noticed Kuro strip off his boxers, but blinked when something that looked like scars were going down his lower back. Frowning, Mahiru slowly glanced around the teen again, trying not to stare at the other’s naked form, before taking in Kuro’s body. There were huge slashes going down the teen’s lower back, and they circled around his hips…did something happen to him?

“K-Kuro?” Mahiru whispered, and when the teen noticed the brunet’s expression, he glanced down at his lower half, and froze. Quickly swiping the towel, Kuro tied it around his waist, and glanced down. Seeing him walk away, Mahiru slowly followed, keeping his eyes on the way Kuro’s back seemed to be scrunched forward. Feeling someone walk next to him, Mahiru glanced up, and noticed Lilly, who had his towel around his shoulders…which mean if Mahiru looked down, he would get an eyeful of something. Swallowing, and trying not to look down, Mahiru smiled at him softly, and Lilly frowned. “Lilly…was Kuro injured when he was younger?”

“Injured? Not that I remember…Kuro mostly kept to himself until the day he…left,” the blond sighed, glancing at his older brother’s tensed back. Mahiru frowned, and when they got into the shower areas, the brunet noticed that Kuro quickly washed himself off, before flying towards the bathing area. Letting the water wash down his back, Mahiru sighed, and slowly followed the other out who were finished already. “Mahiru…why do you ask?”

Sighing, the brunet told the concerned blond the things he seen, and Lilly frowned. He couldn’t ever remember Kuro being injured when they were little. It was true that Kuro was always silent, and kept to himself all the time. But when they needed him, he was always there for him until the day he left suddenly, and almost vanished completely. Shaking his head to rid those thoughts, Lilly sighed, and glanced at Hugh, who seemed to be watching them with a frown. Shaking his head at him, the older sibling just shrugged, and laid back in the hot water. Doing the same, the blond glanced at Kuro, who was relaxing against the wall now, with his eyes closed. His shoulder were no longer hunched in as the hot water seemed to soak some of his anxiety away.

“Can I talk to you guys about something?” Mahiru asked, blowing out a sigh as soothing waters helped his aching muscles. When Kuro opened his eyes, and the others glanced at him, he swallowed. How was he going to bring up Tsubaki, if no one knew who the teen was? Letting out a breath, Mahiru went over his words in his head, before glancing at everyone again. “There’s this teen named Tsubaki…I don’t know too much about him, but I had a confrontation with him the day I went to a friend’s. Something about him was just…off. And as I went to leave, he said…’say hello to Sleepy Ash.’ Do you guys know him?”

“Did you say Tsubaki?” Hugh asked, sputtering lightly as he stared at brunet with shock. When Mahiru nodded, Hugh crossed his legs under the water, and stared into the water with a stern expression. Kuro glanced around with a small glare, like he was trying to make them be silent about the subject. Lilly blinked, obviously looking confused, so Mahiru knew that the blond had no idea who Tsubaki was. Glancing at Hugh again when the small brunet cleared his throat, Mahiru was shocked to see dread in his red eyes as he stared into his own chestnut eyes. “Mahiru. Stay away from Tsubaki. He’s trouble, worse than trouble. He’s dangerous. I’ve had some friends that got targeted by some of his…’friends.’ Keep away from him and everyone he knows if you want to keep yourself, and everyone around you safe. Kuro, I expect you to get in contact with the rest of us. Let them know that they may be in danger.” 

“What a pain…fine, I’ll try I guess…” Kuro groaned, keeping his eyes on the shifting water. Mahiru frowned as he looked at the older teen. Kuro looked like he wanted to avoid this, but there was too much at stake to not do something. Sighing, Mahiru shifted towards the teen, and pressed their shoulders together. Glancing at the brunet, Kuro noticed that Mahiru looked concerned about him. Giving the younger teen a slight nudge, the lazy teen watched as Mahiru smiled softly at him. “I will try to get a hold of everyone…I don’t think we need to worry about Mother and WH, since they’re out of state…but someone should try to get a hold of Lawless, because you all know why.”

Seeing the brother nod, Mahiru sighed, feeling lighter then when he did when he first got into the hot spring. Now that they have some people who are aware of the trouble that could come in, Kuro and him would not have to deal with it alone. Lying against the way more, Mahiru closed his eyes, and let his body and mind completely relax. Kuro watched this, before doing the same, listening to the slight conversation Hugh was having with the others in the bathing area. After a couple of moments, Kuro blinked his eyes open, and glanced at Mahiru. The teen seemed to be dozing off because the brunet was leaning against him. Sighing, Kuro gently laid his head against Mahiru’s and watched as the other’s conversation when on.

“How about we get out now, we’ve been in here for a while,” Tetsu sighed, as he stood up. Watching the others nod, Kuro slowly wrapped his arm around Mahiru’s shoulders, and pulled the brunet up. Wow…he was light as a feather. Seeing his eyes blink open, Kuro hand Mahiru his towel, who wrapped it back around his waist, with tired eyes. Doing the same, the older teen lead the brunet with the others, and when they got back into the locker room, Tetsu handed them all an energy drink. “Here, drink this all.”

“Thanks Tetsu,” Mahiru sighed, opening the can, the brunet took a sip, and felt his body slowly beginning to wake up. Glancing at Kuro, the younger teen smiled at him, and watched as the other took a sip of his with a flush rising on his cheeks. Chuckling, Mahiru thanked Tetsu as the boy handed him and Kuro the inns’ robes. Slipping it on, the teen sighed, and followed the others into the lounging area. “How about we get ready to head back Kuro. It’s getting late.”

Nodding lightly, the older teen watched as the brunet slipped away from the group to get their clothes from the locker room. Glancing at his brothers, Kuro took in the way they spoke to each other, and smiled at each other. He would be doing that if he wasn’t so awkward. Hearing Mahiru coming back, Kuro turned back around to face the teen, and noticed he was already dressed in his clothes. Handing Kuro the clothes, Mahiru nodded towards the changing area, and watched as the teen yawned, before making his way sluggishly toward it. Sighing, Mahiru walked up to Tetsu and Hugh, and told them he was leaving. Once Kuro was dressed, they allowed the two boys to lead them to the entrance of the building.

“It was really great to see you, Sleepy Ash,” Hugh confirmed, nodding his head lightly from where he was standing by Tetsu’s side. Nodding at him, Kuro scratched the back of his head, and slowly walked away. Mahiru watched this while snickering because he knew Kuro was embarrassed, but he stopped and glanced at Hugh, who was looking at him with some kind of twinkle in his eyes. Blinking, Mahiru smiled at him, and went to follow Kuro. “Oh, and Mahiru! It was nice to meet you too. Thanks for taking care of Kuro the way you are. And make sure he gets in contact with some of our other siblings! Be careful out there, okay?”

Nodding at him, Mahiru watched them go back inside, before he turned around, and jogged up to Kuro’s side, but as they were about to leave, the hot spring’s doors opened again, and the brunet glanced behind them, and noticed another teen. Blinking, Mahiru knew he seen that boy before, and when the scene of being shoved out of the way on his first day came back to him, he knew that the teen was going to C3 probably. Seeing them, the teen hummed, before glancing at Kuro. Narrowing his eyes, he walked up to them, and observed the older teen lightly.

“Hi, uh…you go to C3 right? I’m Mahiru, and that’s Kuro. Would you like to walk with us?” the brunet asked, feeling Kuro start to twitch behind him a little. He knew that staring makes the other uncomfortable, but when the teen’s eyes shifted to his own chestnut ones, he knew why. The boy’s eyes were like ice. Swallowing, Mahiru gave him a shaky smile, and held out his hand. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Licht, and I guess an angel can bless your walk back,” the boy said, shaking Mahiru’s hand lightly. Taking it back, Mahiru glanced behind him, and saw Kuro was looking at the ground. Wait…did he just call himself an angel? Blinking, the brunet sighed, and continued to walk down the road. Glancing to his side, Kuro could clearly see Licht’s eyes on him, and shifted uncomfortably. Swallowing, Kuro met his eyes, and noticed the other was now glaring at him. Seeing the way Kuro looked away, and shifted closer to Mahiru, Licht sighed, before speaking. “Sorry, you just look like someone I hate…”

“I-it’s okay…I think,” Kuro muttered, wanting to reach out to take Mahiru’s hands. He had no idea why, but Licht’s odd presence made him nervous. Glancing at Kuro, Mahiru, though obviously confused, gave the older teen a small smile, and Kuro felt his nerves relax slightly, but he still stayed silent, which made the brunet frown. Seeing the frown, Kuro nodded lightly, and glanced away. “It’s okay Mahiru…let’s just hurry back.”

Nodding at the silent teen, Mahiru lightly took the teen’s finger in his, which made Kuro flush brightly. Even though he turned a tomato red, Mahiru was glad that Kuro did not take their hands away. Licht glanced at their hands, before shrugging, and glancing up. Noticing the teen tense, Mahiru went to glance at Licht, but yelped as the teen dashed towards the C3 entrance they could see. It looked like someone was waiting for them there, and when Licht suddenly kicks him, Mahiru felt Kuro tense as dread filled the air. What?

“Shitty Rat! What are you doing out here!” Licht yelled, throwing some spinning kicks, but the blond just grinned, and shimmied out of the way with easy dance steps. Growling, Licht stopped, but continued to glare at the blond as Mahiru and Kuro got closer. Noticing it was Lawless, Kuro froze, and Mahiru felt the older teen’s finger tense around his. Glancing back, the brunet noticed that Kuro’s expression completely changed, and he looked like he was getting pale. “Get inside before Krantz yells at us…I really don’t want to share a room again with you, bastard.”

“No worries Angel Cake, I just wanted to greet big Brother when he got back…isn’t that right, brother?” Lawless snickered out, leveling the tense teen with a cold glare. Kuro slowly moved behind Mahiru more, who glanced behind him to look at the other. Kuro looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Glancing back at the blond, Mahiru recognized him when he was basically kicked into him on the first day. He was one of Kuro’s younger brothers?! Tightening his grip on Kuro’s finger, Mahiru tried to keep the other calm as Lawless got a little closer to them. When he notices Mahiru, Lawless grins, and stops walking. “Well…it looks like you got a friend, brother. I’m Lawless, but you can call me….”

Mahiru yelped as the blond teen disappeared in front of him as his body when flying. Glancing at Licht, Mahiru saw him land on his feet, with a scowl on his face. Watching Lawless hit the courtyard walls, the brunet winced. That had to hurt, but it didn’t seem the phase the blond because as soon as he hit the ground, butt-first, he rubbed his head, and glared lightly at Licht. Was he so used to getting kicked around that he couldn’t feel the pain anymore?

“Don’t listen to the damned demon. My name’s Licht, and I am a classical music major in the music building. That’s Shitty thing over there is Lawless, he’s a tango major…” Licht sighed, and when Lawless came bounding over to him, he sneered again. Lawless grinned at him and called him ‘Angel Cakes,’ which lead to the blond getting kicked again. Mahiru blinked, and glanced behind at Kuro, who was staring at the grass. It really looks like all the teen wanted was to get out of here, which made the brunet frown. “I’m guessing you guys are also dance majors?” 

“Yeah…we are. But that’s not the thing I want to tell you guys…You see, there is this teen called Tsubaki, and well…something is not right about him, and I think that Lawless and you could be in danger,” Mahiru explained, hoping that they would understand. Watching Licht turn away, and Lawless glance at him, the brunet knew that this was going to be trouble if they didn’t know how much trouble they might be in. Swallowing, Mahiru tried to walk forward, but stopped when Lawless met him half way. “U-um, Lawless, right? We should really keep in contact with each other so that if something happens, one of us could know and help!”

“Hmm…No, I think I’m good. You see, putting big Brother and I together is not the best idea ever. But how about this? Just put brother in there, I’m sure he can do something better than getting us together, isn’t that right?” Lawless growled out, stepping away from Mahiru to get in front of Kuro. Feeling their fingers detach, Mahiru stepped forward, and glanced at the brothers. Lawless had the most coldest glare the brunet ever since leveled on Kuro, while Kuro was wearing a annoyed…yet worried expression. “Why don’t you just do what you did to our dear old father to Tsubaki? I’m sure he won’t stand a chance…”

What? Noticing the way Kuro’s face morphed to pure anger, Mahiru backed away lightly. What happened to make them hate each other so much? Swallowing nervously, the brunet turns to see Licht walking away, and flails. Running in front of the older teen, Mahiru glances up at him. If he could get Licht to stay and help them, maybe Lawless will follow suit. 

“W-where are you going? Aren’t you going to help us?! Tsubaki will…” Mahiru started, but when the other gave him a confused look, he stopped.

“Tsubaki? Who’s that?” Licht asked, leveling the teen with a straight face. Mahiru blinked, and stared at the older boy. Did he not ever meet Tsubaki? How did he not know who the other was? Shaking his head, Mahiru glanced behind Licht, and noticed that Kuro and Lawless were now almost nose to nose, and it looked like they were seriously ready to brawl. Glancing back at Licht, Mahiru saw a bored expression on his face, and the teen walked around the brunet. “It’s not my problem to deal with the Shitty Rat’s problem.”

Watching Licht walk away, Mahiru sighed, and ran back to the almost fighting brothers, but as he got close, the brunet noticed the air around them was intense. Swallowing, Mahiru decides to do something that might get him hit, but he knew Kuro did not want to do this. So without warning, the brunet shoved his way in front of Kuro, glaring at Lawless, who blinked in surprise, while Kuro gasped lightly as the other pushed him back slightly. Staring into Lawless’ red eyes, Mahiru knew that this was not going to be an easy thing to do.

“Please Lawless! We really need your help! If something happens to you or Licht, and we don’t know, how are we going to help you guys?” Mahiru got out, trying to get the blond to understand. Lawless blinked down at him, before sighing, and backing away. He knew that Kuro was stupid, but this kid too? Glancing back at Mahiru, Lawless put his hand on his hips, and stared into the other’s nervous chestnut eyes. “Please Lawless…”

“O Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou, Romeo? What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet…there’s no need for my help,” Lawless sighed, pushing his glasses up more on his face as he glared at the duo. Mahiru blinked, obviously confused about what the blond had said before, but frowned as Lawless looked at his phone when it went off like crazy. “Oh man! If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late for my late-night tango class!”

“Wait, Lawless! Please! You need to help us! Please…what if something happens?!” Mahiru yelped, reaching forward to grab at the blond’s wrist, stopping him. Feeling the touch, Lawless stopped, and slowly glanced behind him to look into Mahiru’s face. Blinking, Mahiru stared back, since he really didn’t know what else to do. “U-um?”

“So…you’re my brothers best friend? So odd…” Lawless muttered, and Mahiru cocked his head to the side, and blinked at the glare of the blond’s glasses. He couldn’t see his eyes through the glare until Lawless glanced down a little more, and the brunet noticed a soft look on his face. What? “Jeez…let go, I’ll be late.”

Not knowing what else to do, Mahiru let go of Lawless’ wrists, and watched as the blond teen ran back into C3. Tango class? Sighing, Mahiru glanced down, and noticed Kuro start to walk towards the university as well. Biting his lip, the brunet jogged up to the silent teen, and throughout all the walk, Mahiru frowned as Kuro remained quiet and kept his head down. When they got back into their dorm, the younger teen watched as Kuro quickly shoved off his shoes, and steadily walked back towards the lounge. Doing the same, Mahiru followed the sullen teen, and when he got to the lounge, and heard Kuro’s bedroom door shut, he frowned. Is this the reason why Kuro wanted him to stay away from Lawless? What happened to make them hate each other so much? Sighing, Mahiru walked towards his own room, glancing at Kuro’s silently, before walking in his room, and shutting the door.

“I need to talk to Misono and the others about this…maybe they can help me,” Mahiru sighed, walking over to his bed, and grabbing his laptop from its place under his bed. Getting comfortable, the teen pulled the device on his lap, and opened it up. Scrolling towards the skype button, Mahiru clicked it, and then texted the purple haired boy to get on so that they can talk. Hearing the connecting beep, Mahiru glanced at the screen just as Misono, Lilly, Tetsu, and Hugh popped up on the screen. Smiling softly, Mahiru waved, before sighing. “Thanks for talking with me guys…so much has happened since we got back.”

“It looks like you’ve seen a ghost, Mahiru. Is everything okay?” Lilly asked, taking in the way Mahiru’s face was pale, and the teen looked a little shaken up. Swallowing, the brunet nodded lightly, before sighing. There was no way he could lie to them, and say everything is okay, when it’s not. Seeing their worried faces looking at him through the screen, Mahiru sighed. “Mahiru?”

“We met Lawless as we got back to the university, and things happened…now Kuro is not acting like himself,” Mahiru sighed out, scratching at the back of his head. Hearing Lilly and Hugh talking at once, the brunet winced, and waited while Misono and Tetsu calmed them down. He knew that Kuro told him to stay away, but how were they going to avoid the blond when he was waiting outside of C3 when they were trying to get in? When everything quieted, Mahiru glanced at the screen again, and saw that only Hugh was there. Where did the others go? “I’m sorry Hugh. There was no way around him when we were trying to get in. He was waiting there…Is there any way to help Kuro through this…?”

“Give him some space, Mahiru. Lawless and him are on bad terms, but if he just sleeps it off, I think he’ll be okay. Just be there for him when he needs you, okay?” Hugh asked, watching as Mahiru nodded determinedly. Giving him a small smile, Hugh suddenly remembered something, and glanced at his phone. Seeing the teen looking for him, Mahiru stayed silent until Hugh glanced at him again, and held his phone out. “How about you go to this small performance the music classes are putting on? Maybe some classical things will make you guys calm down?”

“That’s a good idea! Thanks Hugh!” Mahiru yelped, waving at the teen. Just as he was going to log out, he heard Hugh say, ‘be careful,’ so he nodded, and logged out of skype. Shutting his laptop down again, Mahiru put it back, before slipping off his bed, and out of his room. Hearing Mahiru jog past his room, Kuro slowly glanced out of it, and noticed the brunet walking towards the entrance of their dorm. Swallowing, the older teen slipped out of his room, and quietly followed him. Hearing footsteps, Mahiru turned from where he was putting on his shoes, and glanced at Kuro. Watching him put on his boots, Mahiru smiled at him, and nodded. “Let’s go to the music department. Hugh told me about a small performance their putting on.”

Seeing him nod, Mahiru smiled more, before opening the door, and letting Kuro out first. Once they were out, the brunet gently wrapped their hands together, and frowned as the older teen’s hand was ice cold. Not getting a reaction from Kuro, Mahiru sighed, but gently pulled the older boy towards the elevator. Once they were off it, and out of the dance major building, Mahiru pulled Kuro towards the music department, and once they made it to the building, Mahiru froze as he noticed how big the area was. Yikes…he did not see this through. Glancing around, the brunet frowned. Where was the performance being held? Sighing, Mahiru looked behind him and noticed Kuro was watching him with something in his eyes. 

“Come on…let’s find someone and ask where this thing is being held,” Mahiru sighed, before pulling Kuro towards the biggest hallway. He hoped they would find it before the thing ended. “Ugh…why couldn’t I have asked Hugh for directions?!”

\-------------------------

Lawless knew that something was wrong as the air around them grew cold. Glancing behind him slightly, the blond notice some people that he never seen before, and they did not look like the kind of people to watch Licht’s performance. Glancing back at the playing teen, Lawless noticed that Licht didn’t seem to realize what danger he was in. Smirking, the blond turned around to look at the delinquent looking teens, and sneered at them. Seeing they were caught, the teens stood up, and Lawless watched as they brought out switch blades Now glaring at them, Lawless stood up, and turned to face them.

“I’m sorry, but Angel Cakes up there is a little busy, so you’ll have to play with me for a now!” he laughed, tossing his legs over to seat to throw himself at them with no regret. Once in front of them, the blond struck some kind of pose, and grinned. “Now let’s dance!”

\-------------------------------

It’s literally almost been thirty minutes, and the two were still lost. Mahiru groaned, and glanced around. Where in the world were they? Looking at Kuro, the brunet noticed that the older teen was panting, but he didn’t seem to protest being pulled everywhere by the other. That didn’t even sound like Kuro, and when Mahiru opened his mouth to question the older teen, someone interrupted him.

“Mahiru…is that you?” someone asked, and when the brunet looked at the man, he noticed it was Mr. Krantz. Blinking, Mahiru and Kuro stared at the other, obviously confused, which made the sandy-blond laugh. Glancing down at their combined hands, he smiled, before looking around. “Are you guys lost? If you’re looking for Licht’s performance, it’s right down the hall to the left. You should see the small auditorium’s doors right when you turn left!”

“Thank you Mr. Krantz!” Mahiru yelped, gently pulling Kuro in the direction the teacher said, but as he stepped down the hall, the brunet stopped, before glancing at the other man again. Smiling, Mahiru waved, before continuing down the hallway. Once they reached the area Mr. Krantz told them about, Mahiru finally noticed the doors…but something was wrong. Why did it feel sort of…ominous? Glancing at Kuro, Mahiru frowned. The teen was staring at the doors as if a monster was waiting for them. Gently tugging on his hand, Mahiru got Kuro to look at him, before giving him a soft smile. “Hey…it’s going to be okay. I’m here. So let’s go, okay?”

Seeing him nod, Mahiru nodded as well, and slowly pulled Kuro in as he opened the doors, and what he saw was not what he wanted to see. Stepping in and hearing the doors shut, Mahiru stared wide eyed as he took in the bodies that laid across the floor. Swallowing, the brunet heard a scream, before he was knocked out of the way, and two teens fled out of the area, one holding the other. Noticing blood, Mahiru felt his stomach heave, before he glanced further in the room, and noticed Lawless sitting on seats clapping as Licht’s performance ended. Walking further in shakily, Mahiru tried not to look at the unconscious teens. He could tell them some of them had broken ribs, broken arms, and by the way there were some blood puddles, he knew that Lawless did it all.

“W-what…” Mahiru asks, as he feels his body freezing up in fear. Feeling Kuro finally move, the brunet noticed the older teen moved in front of him lightly, and was tense as hell. Was he trying to protect him or something? Swallowing, the two watched as Licht stood up from the piano, and glared down at all three of them. Well…shit. Now he was angry. Backing up slightly, Mahiru noticed that Lawless’ attention was now on the older teen, and not them. “K-Kuro…”

“Shitty Rat…How much have I told you not to interrupt my shows?!” Licht yelled as he jumped off the stage to try and kick the blond. Lawless smirking, and reach forward, grabbing the black-haired teen’s ankle, and spinning him. Mahiru watched, shocked, as the blond threw the teen onto the stage, and when Licht’s back hit the stage, the brunet winced. He knew that it was one of the blond’s tango moves, but using it to hurt someone was unbelievable. “...tch…”

“Lawless!” Mahiru yelped, running in front of Kuro to get near Licht. That could really injure someone, but the blond didn’t seem to care. Hearing Kuro’s footsteps quickly following him, Mahiru walked right in front of the grinning blond, and stared into his face. Staring back, the blond glanced up and looked at Kuro, who was glaring at him lightly. Gazing back down to the nervous looking brunet, Lawless sighed, before walking and jumping on the stage to sit. “Why’d you do that to Licht! He could get really hurt!”

“Oh, relax. That wouldn’t hurt someone like him. Besides, what are you guys doing here? You’ve already missed the show, or is it because of Tsubaki’s friends? If that was it, their already taken care of,” Lawless sighed, crossing his legs slightly. Glancing around again, Mahiru knew that Lawless did handle them, but did he do it the right way? No, he didn’t. Seeing the blond jump off the stage again, Mahiru looked at him quickly. “Ya know. I’m getting sick of you trying to get us to join in on your little crusade. Don’t you know that big brother can do it by…?”

“I know Kuro’s strong, but it’s not something we can do on our own! Tsubaki has a whole group of friends!” Mahiru protested, clenching his fists at his side. How could he get Lawless to understand?! “We need your- “

“You don’t need anyone’s help, you just think you do,” Lawless snapped out, and when he went to turn away, Mahiru reached out. Smirking at this, Lawless turned back around, grabbing the brunet’s wrist. Feeling his eyes widen, Mahiru yelled as Lawless spun him around and when his body flew off the floor, the brunet slammed his eyes shut, and the blond let go. Kuro gasped as he seen Mahiru’s body go flying. He really needed to get the other to eat more He weighed so little. Watching his brother jog backwards, Lawless snickered as Kuro caught Mahiru bridal style, before falling. “Now you’re trying to be the good guy big brother?! Do you think that will help you from what you done before?!”

Mahiru whined, before slowly opening his eyes. Noticing that Kuro caught him, he gasped, and slowly got out of the older teen’s arms to make sure he was okay. Seeing the brunet’s worried expression, Kuro nodded slightly, which made Mahiru sigh. Standing back up, Mahiru helped Kuro up as well, before glancing back at Lawless. This guy was out of control! He really could’ve hurt the both of them. Seeing the blond cackling, Mahiru backed up lightly. What was he planning now?!

“Since you sound clueless as ever, I’ll let you on a little secret about Kuro, since you think you know him like you do! A while ago, there lived seven siblings in a house with one parent that they loved so much,” Lawless growled out, sitting back on the stage as he began to think. Mahiru blinked, before feeling Kuro tense beside him. Glancing at him, the brunet noticed that the older teen had the most hauntingly terrified expression he’d ever seen. “Well, one day, one siblings decided to do something that would change the other six siblings lives forever. After this event happened, the siblings began to fight and argue, as they tried to figure out why the oldest sibling did was he did. Three siblings did not understand, while three other did.”

Swallowing the huge lump in his throat, Mahiru felt his legs begin to shake as he felt Kuro’s anger rising beside him. He knew that Kuro was not someone to mess with, and he really did not want to see the face the other currently had. Keeping his eyes on Lawless, Mahiru tried to take a breath, but it came out shaky. Why was Kuro’s rage making him so nervous? Weren’t they friends? Why couldn’t he move and try to help Kuro out of this? But if he moved, Mahiru felt like he would be the target of Kuro’s rising rage.

“Well…in order to keep the siblings from fighting about the crime he committed, the older sibling decided something on his own, without even considering what the other siblings’ feelings. So one night, our dear older brother decided to…” Lawless started, but right as he was about to finished his sentence, Kuro screamed, and pulled at his hair. Jumping from the absolutely scream of terror, Mahiru flinched away from the older teen, while Lawless laughed hysterically. “You really did not want your little friend to know this much, did you?”

Hearing the blond cackle more, Mahiru stared at the two brothers with fear in his eyes. He literally had no idea what he needed to do to stop this. All he wanted to do was get the siblings together to help protect each other against Tsubaki, and having this happen was not a part of his plan. Watching Kuro get more furious, Mahiru stood hopeless as the older teen stomped towards the stage while Lawless charged him. There was too much hostility here! 

\-----------------

“What do you mean some others didn’t make it out…are they okay?” Tsubaki gasped out, dropping his ice cream sandwich he was eating before Shamrock and Belkia returned, badly beaten and bleeding. Looking them over, the older teen noticed that Shamrock was the only one who was physically awake since Belkia looked sort of dazed. “Are they?”   
“I could only bring back Belkia…Lawless was too strong to stay,” Shamrock hissed out, feeling his ribs protest as he breathed. The blond was sure that one of them were broken. Tsubaki frowned as he took in the way Shamrock looked ready to pass out. Glancing at Otogiri, he nodded his head towards them and she nodded. Sakuya, who was in the corner of the room watched as the two helped the injured others towards the other room. He knew that Otogirl would get them to be good as new, but even though he knew that, it didn’t stop the thoughts flying through his head. Hearing them talk, Sakuya watched as Tsubaki walked out of the room, while Shamrock called out to him. “We’re sorry…”

Watching Tsubaki nod, and the door close, Sakuya followed the older teen with his eyes. It looked like the other was really upset about this, but he should’ve known that this would happen when facing the most unstable sibling of the seven. But what if he did know? Did he just ditch them to do whatever he wanted to do? Are they hiding something from him? Bristling slightly as Tsubaki glanced at him, Sakuya noticed the red eyes were tearing up. Glaring lightly, the teen just sighed, before glancing away. Walking towards the door, Sakuya went to see if Otogiri needed some help, so that Tsubaki could figure out his feelings alone. When he watched the teen disappear, Tsubaki sighed, before tears slowly slid down his face.

“I’m sorry my friends…I should’ve been there with you.”

\------------------------------

“What’s wrong brother?! Can’t you get the peace you want?!” Lawless taunted as Kuro threw a punch, before doing a spinning kick. Lawless easily swung out of the way, and the brunet watched as the two fought like it was some sort of dance. Swallowing, he glanced around. He knew his spins were not strong enough to stop them, so how in the hell was he going to stop them before they both got hurt. Hearing a body hit the floor, Mahiru glanced back at their fighting, and noticed Kuro was on the ground, and Lawless went to stomp on him. Rolling out of the way, Kuro jumped back up, and spun his leg to trip the blond. “You just want to forget everything! That’s what I hate about you the most, big brother!”

“Do you think that forgetting the past would wash all the blood off your hands?” Lawless growled, and Mahiru really wished that the blond would shut up so that he could think. Hearing a flick of something metal, Mahiru gasps as Lawless throws out a switch blade, and turns it on Kuro. Feeling his leg shake, the brunet jogged closer. He really had no idea what he was going to do, but he had to stop this before Kuro got stabbed. Watching the brothers fight it out, Mahiru pulled at his hair, and glanced around. What to do…what was he going to do?! Hearing a hiss, the brunet watched as Lawless’ knife slashed Kuro’s head, and when blood leaked down his face, Mahiru felt his heart stop. “NO!”

“Kuro!” Mahiru called, and when the teen glanced at the brunet, Mahiru felt his body freeze. Kuro was looking at him with such a heart-breaking look that the brunet wanted to cry. Why did this have to happen? Tensing his fists, Mahiru gasped as he noticed Licht was gone off his spot and was jumping off the stage in rage. “What?!”

“You guys! I told you to shut up!” Licht yelled, as he jumped off the stage, and kicked both the brothers in the head. Seeing the teen pull off a split while his heels smacked Lawless and Kuro in the head, Mahiru finally felt like he could move, so he ran towards the now separated teens. Lawless groaned as he laid on the floor, rubbing his head, while Kuro stumbled back, and landed back first against the stage. That had to hurt! Glaring at them, Licht hopped back up on the stage where his piano was sitting, before sitting on it. “All of you are too noisy! The only thing you three are allowed to do now, is be quiet, listen to my piano, and imagine!”

Watching Licht spin around, and press down on the keys, some kind of melody played through the air, as the air around the auditorium shifted to something akin to peace yet sorrow like. Mahiru felt the air leave his lungs as the melody brought tears to his eyes. Blinking, the brunet fell to his knees, and wiped at his eyes. Why was he crying? Why was he thinking of his mother? Sniffling, Mahiru let out a little whimper, and tried to get his tears to stop. Glancing around, the brunet noticed Lawless was kneeling on the ground, and little whimpers and groans were coming out of him. He was also crying? What…how was Kuro? Slowly lifting his gaze to the older teen, Mahiru felt his teary chestnut eyes widen as he took in the way Kuro was in a fetal position as he covered his ears. Taking in the teen’s expression, Mahiru froze as he took in the tortured look Kuro had on his face. His red eyes were wide, and he looked ready to pull his hair out.

“N-no…Ophelia…Licht…this isn’t…” Lawless growled out, lifting his head as tears flowed down his cheeks. Mahiru bit his lip. The blond did not look happy. Standing back up, Mahiru wiped the last of his tears away as he took in the way Lawless was shaking. Why was Licht’s song making everyone do this? And how? Was he that good of a musician? Noticing Lawless standing up shakily, Mahiru watched as the blond glared at the playing teen, as he jumped onto the stage. “This is the only song I can’t stand! STOP IT!!!”

Seeing Licht stop playing, and launch himself off the piano seat, Mahiru gasped as Lawless was about to throw his switch blade, while Licht was going in for another kick. All of a sudden, the brunet heard the auditorium doors slam open, before someone shouted it out a command. Seeing another person jump on the stage, Mahiru turned around, and noticed it was no other than their teacher, Mr. Krantz. Hearing the two teens yelp out in pain, the brunet glanced back around, and noticed an older man holding two rulers, and Licht and Lawless were on the ground, holding their heads. 

“Thank god, we made it!” Krantz sighed, running towards the teens. Mahiru sighed, feeling relaxed as his teacher showed up. Glancing at Kuro, the brunet ran up to him, and kneeled down. Kuro did not look good. Reaching out, Mahiru brushed the teen’s bangs aside, and flinched as Kuro jumped from the touch. The teen kept his eyes on the floor, and no matter how hard Mahiru tried, Kuro would not meet his worried gaze. Sighing, Mahiru stood back up, and watched as Kuro slowly did the same. “Mahiru. Kuro. Are you guys okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“N-no…we’re fine,” Mahiru sighed, glancing at Kuro’s face. Reaching out, the teen gently cupped the silent boy’s cheek, and wiped the pooling blood around Kuro’s slash wound. The teen didn’t even react to that. Wiping the blood on his pants, Mahiru glanced back as Mr. Krantz walked up on the stage, and was currently scolding Lawless and Licht. Noticing the blond glance at them, Mahiru froze, but slowly moved in front of Kuro as the blond ignored the raging adult as he jumped off the stage. Seeing Lawless’ glare land on Kuro, Mahiru planted himself right in front of Kuro, until his back was literally touching the other’s chest. “Stay away from him!”

Meeting the blond’s red glare as strongly as he could with his own glare, Mahiru held out his arms, trying to keep Kuro behind him. Rolling his eyes, Lawless stepped down, and backed away. He was honestly too tired to deal with them now. Hearing Krantz yelling at him more, the blond quickly walked up the aisle, and near the exit. If he couldn’t get to his big brother now…then whatever. Stopping, the blond glanced at all of them again, and stared at the brunet who was protecting his brother. Turning around again, Lawless just sighed, and made his way out. Licht growled, and whipped his music sheets folder at the blond’s head. Hearing a yelp, Mahiru knew that it hit Lawless.

“Licht, you know that this performance was because the music teacher likes you! Why risk it just to break things, and leave a giant mess for the music department to clean up! You need to go apologize to them now!” Krantz yelled, crossing his arms over his chest tightly. Glaring at his uncle, Licht knew that there was no way around it when the sandy-blond was looking at him with that stern expression. Sighing, the teen nodded, and the teacher relaxed. “Good. And thank you Gil, for stopping them!”

Walking up to them, Mahiru felt Kuro silent following him, and he watched as they talked. Taking in the other man, Mahiru realized that he probably had to deal with the fighting teens so much that stopping them was like a second nature for him. Turning around, Krantz glanced the two up and down, and frowned. They both looked like they’ve seen better days. Sighing, the older man walked up to them, and patted Mahiru’s shoulder. Looking up at the kind face of his teacher, Mahiru gave him a small smile. Glancing at Kuro, Krantz frowned as the teen would not look up from where he was staring.

“Sorry gentlemen…you should not have to deal with my nephew and his…friend. Gil, this is Mahiru, and Kuro. They’re a couple of my students. Mahiru, Kuro, this is my intern, Gil,” Krantz sighed, and when the older man shook hands with Mahiru, he smiled. Swallowing, the brunet quickly let go of the other’s hand, and when Gil handed him a band-aid, he nodded. Turning around to face Kuro again, Mahiru undid the bandage, and gently placed it on Kuro’s face. “Licht, go apologize now. Gil and I will meet you there soon!”

“Licht, wait!” Mahiru yelped, and when the older teen stopped, and glanced at him, he gave him a pleading look. Giving him a glance over again, Licht sighed, before turning to look at him. Just staring at him, the older teen knew that the brunet had a lot to learn before he tried to help people. It was obvious today, that Mahiru failed. “We…really need your help.”

“No. You can’t seem to realize what you did wrong, until then, and until you learn, we can’t help you,” Licht sighed out, before walking off the stage, and towards the exit. Watching him helplessly, Mahiru went over what Licht told him, and glanced at Kuro. Seeing the older teen just standing there, not making a sound, and not looking at anyone, Mahiru knew that Licht had a point. He did fail…didn’t he? “Hurry up Uncle.”

“Yes Licht,” Krantz sighed, nodding towards Gil. Watching the man leave with the older teen. Mahiru glanced at the floor, and slowly walked towards Kuro. Grabbing onto the teen’s hand, the brunet glanced at Krantz one more time. “Don’t worry Mahiru. We’ll get him to come around. For now, go back and get some rest, it looks like you both need it.”

Nodding silently, the brunet waved to the sandy-blond, before pulling Kuro towards the exit. He knew that Krantz was right, but that didn’t stop the disappointed feelings that was running through his body. Sighing, Mahiru glanced behind him again, and saw Kuro was still looking at the floor, and the teen’s fringe was covering his face so that no one could see it. Frowning some more, Mahiru tightened his hold, and quickened their pace so that they both could get back to the dorm. When the door to the music building was in their sights, Mahiru stopped walking, and turned around to look at Kuro. Even though he couldn’t see his expression, the teen’s body just looked like he’s seen better days.

“Kuro…are you okay?” he asked, wanting to reach out and touch him, but when he didn’t respond again, Mahiru fought the urge. Sighing, the brunet wrung their fingers together, and continued to pull the other towards the doors. He knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with the other today. “Let’s go back…we need some rest.”

\-----------------------------------

“God, I feel tired,” Lawless groaned, texting the president of the theatre club. They were complaining that he was late, and the blond already knew that. So, hearing it again was just making him irritated. Sending the text, Lawless sighed, before turning off his phone, but right as he was about to put it in his pocket, something in the device’s reflection caught his eye. Was…someone behind him? “W-what…”

“Oh, big brother…” someone said, and as Lawless turned around, he noticed another teen, and when furious tear-filled eyes met his own, his eyes widened. W-who? Seeing the evil grin on the other’s face, Lawless yelped, and turned to run, but when strong arms wrapped around his body, and a chemical filled cloth got pressed on his mouth, the blond panicked and kicked, but soon felt his body losing strength, and his consciousness leaving him. Once the blond when limp in his hold, Tsubaki laughed hysterically. “HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAHHAHAHA YOU’RE MINE NOW!”


	7. Heathens

As the two teens got back from the horrible night they’ve had, Mahiru watched as Kuro left him right as they got in. Kicking off his shoes, the brunet jogged to try and keep up with the sullen teen, but as he got in the lounge, and heard the other’s door shut softly, he stopped, and stared towards their bedrooms longingly. He knew that Kuro wasn’t acting right since he had that fight with Lawless, but instead of talking about it like he hoped, the teen seemed to just bottle it up. Shaking his head, Mahiru glanced at the time, and noticed how late it was. Sighing, the boy didn’t even think about eating, since he seen all that blood, the brunet was sure he wouldn’t be hungry a long while. Turning off the light in the lounge, Mahiru carefully made his way through the dark to his room. Opening and closing the door, the teen turned on his light, and made his way to his bed. Taking out his laptop, Mahiru turned on skype, and requested to chat with the others. Maybe they could help him figure out what he should do about Kuro. Seeing the request get approved, the brunet smiled sadly as the faces of his friends popped up.

“Mahiru! Are you okay?! It’s looks like you have been to Hell and back,” Misono asked, taking in the way the brunet’s eyes showed how tired he was. Mahiru nodded slightly, and decided to tell them everything that happened, and how he felt that something happened to Lawless after he left. When he finally finished, the brunet was not expecting to see Misono glaring at him, and when the boy started scolding him, he flinched away from the screen in shock. “Why in the hell did you go alone?! Hugh told you to be careful for a reason! Lawless is dangerous, Kuro even told you that! No wonder he won’t talk to you right now! I don’t blame him!”

“Misono, get off the screen and go calm down! Lilly, go get Misono some tea, and please, bring him with you!” Hugh sighed, and when Lilly grabbed the boy’s wrist, and when he was yanked off the screen, Mahiru sighed, and stared sadly at Hugh. Seeing the brunet’s expression, Hugh sighed, and rubbed his forehead. “Please don’t take what Misono said to heart, Mahiru. Yes, seeing Lawless may have opened some scars for Kuro, but you are not the only one at fault here. Kuro should know by now how Lawless is, and he should be talking to you about this. But it looks like he is still the same as he was back then. I would try to talk to him again before you go to bed, make sure he knows you are there for him whenever he needs him. If Kuro really trusts you, he’ll rely on you okay? Now I have to go, Tetsu may need some help with some of the customers. Good luck.”

“Thanks Hugh,” Mahiru sighed, and when he logged off, the teen closed his laptop, and placed it back under his bed. Standing back up, Mahiru shrugged off his day clothes, and slipped on a long sweatshirt, and black pajama pants. Throwing them in his hamper, the brunet glanced towards his door when he heard someone walking out of the hallway. Frowning, Mahiru quickly ran to his door, and opened it. Glancing in the hallway, the teen noticed Kuro walking towards the lounge with his shoulders hunched up, like he was defending himself against something. Blinking, Mahiru slipped out of his room, and quietly followed the other teen. Seeing him put on his boots, and walk out the door, the brunet slipped on his sandals, and quickly ran after him. Once they made it outside in the courtyard, Mahiru clenched his fists as Kuro was about to go out. “Kuro! Where are you going?!” 

Watching Kuro tense, Mahiru paused as the teen also stopped walking. Frowning, Mahiru went to walk closer to him, but as he did, he noticed that the other was getting more fidgety, so he stopped just a few paces behind him. Swallowing, Mahiru stared at the silent older teen. Kuro being like this was not a fun thing for Mahiru. All he wanted to do was get them back to the way there were, trying to get along, and enjoy their dancing, but now…it didn’t even seem like they were going to be like that anymore. Shaking the thought out of his head, the brunet sighed, before looking at the other again. All they were doing was standing there, and Mahiru was tired. All he wanted to do is sleep, and try to get passed this, but it didn’t seem like that was going to happen. When the teen finally turned around, Mahiru felt his blood run cold. It seriously looked like the teen was dead inside. There was no spark in his eyes as he stared coldly into Mahiru’s worried chestnut eyes.

“K-Kuro…um. W-what exactly happened back then t-to make Lawless…” Mahiru tried to ask, but before he could get the last of the sentence out, Mahiru froze up as the air around Kuro changed to something akin to blood lust. Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat, the teen slowly backed up as he felt his legs shake. He was…terrified? Why was he terrified of Kuro? It’s not like he was going to hurt him…right? Biting his lip, and glancing away from Kuro’s glowing red eyes, Mahiru took a shaky breath in, and clenched his pajama pants in his fists. “U-uh…never mind, Kuro. L-let’s go back. It l-late…c-come on.”

Turning around, Mahiru tried to calm his raging heartbeat as he walked back towards their dorm, and when he heard Kuro slowly following him, he let out a breath. Looking down at his sandals, Mahiru tried to think about what happened to Kuro in the past to make his sibling resent him so much, but when nothing came to mind, he just sighed, and glanced behind him. Kuro was still following him, but he had no feeling in his face. It was just stone cold. A mask. Turning back around, Mahiru opened the door to the dorming area, and they made their way back to their room. Once they were back, Mahiru kicked off his sandals, and watched as Kuro did the same. Following the teen towards their rooms again, Mahiru gently reached out, and quickly grabbed Kuro’s sleeve of his long sleeved black shirt. 

“G-goodnight Kuro…get some rest, okay?” the boy asked, hoping he would hear the teen’s monotone voice, but when nothing came out, and Kuro just walked into his dark room. Mahiru slumped, and just watched as the door shut again that night. Gritting his teeth, Mahiru walked back to his own room, and closed the door. Turning off the light, Mahiru used the light of his cellphone to get to his bed, and when he was under the covers, he placed his phone on the bedside table, and closed his eyes. He really hoped that tomorrow would be better. “Yeah…tomorrow will be better. I…hope it will. Goodnight Kuro…”

\---------------------------------

It was morning before Mahiru even knew it. Getting blinded by the sunlight that shown through his curtains, the brunet groaned, before slipping off his bed, to walk over to the window. Rubbing his eyes, the teen glanced out the window, and smiled at how nice it looks outside. The sky was bright blue, a lot of the college students were outside, laughing and hanging out, and overall, Mahiru felt a lot better than he did the night before. Stretching, the boy turned away from the window, and walked out of his room. Getting in the hallway, Mahiru glanced at Kuro’s door, and noticed it was still closed. Kuro must still be sleeping. Feeling a smile rise on his face as he thought about the lazy teen, Mahiru thought he should surprise him with something good for breakfast. Nodding, the teen jogged towards the kitchen, and began to get ready.

“Okay…I remember he loved the omelet I made when we first ate breakfast together, so I’ll make that again!” the brunet thought out loud, as he swiped all the ingredients he needed. It took no time at all to get everything together, unlike it did last time, and once the omelet was done, Mahiru flipped it on a plate, and gently added some spices to it. Letting the smell of it relax him, the boy smiled, before jogging back into to the lounge towards Kuro’s door. Knocking on it, Mahiru waited to hear Kuro’s groan, but when nothing happened, and not a sound was heard. Mahiru blinked, and frowned. “Kuro? Wake up! I got breakfast ready! Kuro?!”

Biting his lip, the brunet slowly turned the knob, and pulled the door open. Stepping inside, Mahiru turned on the light, and when only Kuro’s lava lamp turned on, the room was only lit enough for the teen to notice Kuro was not in bed. Walking in, the younger teen glanced around the floor, remembering how Kuro fell asleep on it last time, but when he wasn’t there either, Mahiru was sure he felt his heart stop. Where was Kuro? Turning off the lava lamp, Mahiru bolted out of the room, and towards the entrance of their dorm. When he noticed that Kuro’s messenger bag, hoodie, and boots were gone, Mahiru absolutely froze. Did Kuro leave him? Where did he go? Why didn’t he wake him? 

“D-don’t panic…do we have class today…no we don’t…w-where could he have gone?!” Mahiru yelped out, pushing his hair back as he passed around his shoes. All of a sudden, the boy was knocked out of his thoughts as a gentle tap was placed on his door. Thinking it was Kuro, Mahiru opened the door fast, but instead of the lazy teen he expected, Mahiru was met with the face of their dance teacher. “Mr. Krantz…is everything okay? We don’t have class today right?”

“N-no…I was just wondering. Have you seen Licht or Lawless? Both of them went missing, and I have not received a text from either of them…I’m getting worried,” Krantz asked, as he bit his numb nail softly. Mahiru swallowed, trying not to panic more than he was already. First Kuro, and now those two?! Letting out a shaky breath, Mahiru shook his head, and gave the sandy-blond a concerned look. Seeing the teen looking white as a sheet, Krantz cocked his head to the side, before realizing that Kuro wasn’t following the brunet around like usual. “Mahiru? Are you okay? Where’s Kuro?”

Seeing the brunet shake his head, the teacher frowned, and gently put a hand on his shoulder. Looking up at the kind eyes of his teacher, Mahiru felt his panic cease a little. Letting out a breath, the teen explained how Kuro was acting, and Krantz sighed. Crossing his arms, the teacher pulled out his phone and texted Gil, letting him know to punish Lawless a bit more once they found him. The two were probably just out fighting each other again somewhere. Kuro going missing is more odd then those to. Once the text sent, the sandy-blond glanced down at the teen, and practically felt the nervous waves flying off him. The kid honestly had too many worries already, and it just made it worse on him when another was added.

“Mahiru, I want you to listen to me,” Krantz sighed, gaining the teen’s attention. When the boy was looking at him, he gave the other a stern yet caring look. Seeing this, Mahiru gave him a small smile. There, at least he was smiling now. “I want you to go out and find Kuro. Don’t worry about Lawless or Licht right now. Leave that to me and Gil. They’re probably just out fighting each other, okay? I need to go now, but remember that okay?”

“O-okay Mr. Krantz…thank you,” the brunet muttered out, and once the door closed, and Mahiru was left on his own again, the teen sighed. He really needed to get a grip. Breathing in and out for a few seconds, Mahiru swallowed the lump in his throat, and patted his cheeks. “I need to get a hold of Misono again…maybe he can get some insight of where Kuro ran off to!”

\--------------------------------

“Shitty Rat, where did that demon of a teenager run off to,” Licht growled to himself, as he passed the park the blond used to always people watch at. When he noticed the annoying boy was not there, he sighed, and glanced around. Where could he have gone? Walking into the park, Licht took in every place that Lawless could be, but he did not see any trace of the blond at all. “Damn…he really did disappear, didn’t he?”

“So…are you the person I’m supposed to bring back…Licht?” Hearing a grainy voice behind him, Licht jumped, before running forward. Turning around, the teen came face to face with a man with long red hair. Feeling the air around the main, Licht growled, and took in the way the man held himself. He seemed confident about something…and what did he mean but ‘supposed to bring back?’ “You are Licht, right? Yeah…I got orders to bring you back alive, so why don’t you just come nicely and be with Lawless, hm?”

Hearing the Shitty Rat’s name, Licht sneered, and slowly stretched his legs out. He knew that he needed to fight. Seeing that the teen was not going to go peacefully, the man sighed, and slowly pulled out a blade. Seeing the metal shimmer, Licht tensed, and glared at the man. Why did he need to bring that demon thing out? Growling, the teen back up some more. Getting stabbed was not on his bucket list of things to do whenever. Seeing him back off slightly, the man smiled, before taking step forward.  
“I’m Higan, one of Tsubaki’s friends, and you’re coming with me whether you like it or not.”

\---------------------------------

“Misono you don’t understand! Kuro just up and disappeared! There’s no trace of him whatsoever! All that’s left is the stuff in his room. His jacket, bag, and shoes are gone! Kuro would not go out like this!” Mahiru yelped into the phone, scratching the back of his head lightly. Hearing the purple haired teen try to calm him down, Mahiru just sighed, and glanced around some more. The dorm was severely quiet, and it felt really lonely. Tensing his fist in his hair, Mahiru took a breath. “O-okay. I’m going to go look around in some of Kuro’s favorite spots…I’ll call you later…yeah thanks Misono!”

Once he hung up, Mahiru quickly ran through the lounge towards his room. Flinging off his clothes, the brunet slipped on pair of straight dark purple jeans, a white t-shirt, and one of his black hoodies. Running out of his room, Mahiru slipped on his shoes at the door, grabbed his backpack, and ran out the door. Locking it, the teen ran down the dorm building stairs. He didn’t know where Kuro was, but he knew that for some reason, he really needed to find him, before anything else happens.

\-----------------------------

“For as long as I remembered, I had many dreams. But now, since I’ve grown, I only make my dreams into what man can make into a reality. Black. White. Black. White. The imagination is a weapon, and it’s far greater than anything else in the world. Black. White. White. Black.”

“Shit,” Licht cursed out, feeling the hot blade slice him again. Jumping back, the teen held his right shoulder. He was pretty sure it was sprained, but that wasn’t his concern right now. Blood pooled down his arms, head, and legs. He was pretty much a walking disaster filled with slashes and burns right now. Spitting out the blood that was in his mouth, Licht growled, and glared up at the old man as he pulled out a cigarette. “Damn…”

“Come on Licht, why don’t you just let me catch you already. We could’ve just avoided this whole thing,” Higan sighed, lighting the cancer stick between his lips, and taking a puff. Feeling angered, the teen ran out him, and tried to jump kick his teeth in, but the red head just spun out of the way, and the teen landed on his knees. Cursing at the pain, Licht stood back up shakily, and glared at Higan. “Now, now. You young people are so short-tempered nowadays, aren’t you? Guess you can’t help it. Get ready to face my blade some more.”

Watching the old man dart towards him, Licht jumped back, before trying to through another kick, but as he did, Higan smirked, and ducked. Cursing, Licht went to spin around, but when his leg was grabbed, and he felt his body hit the cement. He momentarily lost consciousness as he had bounced off the ground. Seeing he wasn’t getting up any time soon, Higan took another puff of his cigarette, before throwing it down, and grinding it beneath his sandal. Sighing, he rubbed the back of his head, and watched as Licht gained some consciousness back, and began to stand. 

“Licht, you do release you can’t beat me alone…maybe if you had Lawless with you, then maybe. But look at yourself, you can barely stand, just give up already and come with me,” Higan sighed, and when the teen finally stood all the way, he noticed the heavy glare on his face. “Right now, Lawless is beaten worse then you. Without him, you’re nothing…get it?”

“Does it look like I give a damn about that thing? He can rot in Hell for all I care!” Licht growled out, panting as the wounds started to finally ware down his body. Holding his arm, Licht yelled out, and darted toward the red head with the thought to keep fighting. A few wounds were not going to keep him from getting this guy dead. “Just shut up and face me, you Jackass!”

\-------------------------------

Mahiru swore that he checked all of Kuro’s favorite areas, but he got no sign of the lazy neet. Sighing, Mahiru slowed his running to a stop, and tried to get his breath back. Panting, he glanced around some more. He was by the park that Kuro and him dance in for the first time. Looking at it sadly, the brunet sighed, before some girls walked by him and were talking about a fight of some sort. Honing in on their conversation, Mahiru took in has they said that someone was badly beaten and they were questioning if they should call the authorities. Swallowing nervously, Mahiru took a deep breath, before running the direction he heard them mention. Heading through the park, the teen headed for the west exit, and as he did, what he saw made his blood run cold.

“L-Licht…” the boy whispered, as he took in the way Higan was holding a bloody Licht by the collar of his hoodie. Swallowing, the brunet ran close to them, and tried to stand his ground, even though he was nervous as hell. Hearing the other boy’s appearance, Licht glanced towards him lightly. Stepping a little closer, Mahiru tensed his fists. Licht looked like he was in real pain. “W-what are you doing! Let go of him!”

“Hm? Who are you? Wait, you’re Mahiru aren’t you? Sorry, but Tsubaki didn’t mention what to do with you if you showed up,” Higan sighed, and as the odd teen’s name came up, Mahiru felt his body freeze mid step. Tsubaki? N-no. Swallowing nervously, Mahiru took a shaky breath in, and tried to move, but his body was frozen were he stood. Damn it, why was he such a scaredy cat?! Watching the red head drop Licht on the ground, Mahiru took a hard step back, and tripped. Seeing the teen falling back, Licht slowly staggered up. “He didn’t exactly say to keep you alive, so I guess you’re mine to play with!”

Staring at the approaching figure, Mahiru’s body shook in fear, but when Licht slid in front of him, the teen gasped, and Higan stopped. Even when he was badly beaten, he still was able to move and fight. Staring guilty up at the bleeding other, Mahiru tried to get up, but it still felt like his legs were frozen to the ground. Blowing out an impressed breath, Higan put his hands on his hips, and stared the teen down. Licht glared up at him. 

“Your fight is with me, not him,” the teen growled, tightening the grip on his arm. His whole body ached, but he really did not want to say so. Running forward, the teen flew into another kick, but Higan dodged it with ease, and when Licht landed, he fell. Mahiru winced as he seen the boy struggle to stand again. Damn it! Slowly getting his legs to let him stand, the brunet finally stood, just as Licht jumped into another rolling kick, and jump kick. No matter how many times he did this, Higan swung around him, and deflected his advances. Licht started to notice that the force of his attacks started to lose their velocity “Shit!”

“L-Licht! Y-you need to get out of here! P-please!” Mahiru yelped, still trying to get his legs to move as he reached out for the injured teen. Seeing the boy stop in front of him again, the brunet swallowed the giant lump in his throat, and when Licht stared to look at him, he saw clear blue eyes, but this time, they weren’t glaring at him. He just looked tired, and like he up his mind about something. “Licht! P-please, just go!”

“Why did the hell did you come here?” Licht asked him, keeping his eyes on Higan. Mahiru glanced down at the ground. That’s true…isn’t it. He had no plan on what to do if he came into trouble. Kuro was nowhere to be found, he was practically defenseless, his body couldn’t move, and he basically had to let Licht, who was badly injured, protect him. He felt like he could absolutely nothing. As if he heard the boy’s thoughts, Licht jumped back towards him again, and fell. Watching get up, Mahiru felt his eyes widen as Licht’s next words rang a bell in him or something. “It’s not about wanting to do something that you can do. It’s about what you want to do. It’s not about wanting to become someone. It’s about who you want to become!”

Licht growled out as he accidentally missed another kick, and Higan sighed. He was honestly getting bored now, so as the older teen ran, and tried to kick him in the gut, the red head grabbed the bot’s ankle, and threw him to the ground. Hearing a sickening thump of Licht’s body hit the ground, Mahiru watched helplessly as the other tried to get up again, but then Higan quickly chopped a pressure point right behind Licht’s head, and his body fell hard as he finally passed out. Seeing this, Mahiru gasped, and Higan waved his hand back and forth. Cracking his neck, the older man reached down, and threw the unconscious teen over his shoulder.

“H-hey! Let him go!” Mahiru yelped, and shakily darted forward. Seeing the brunet’s flimsy attempt of a punch, the red head slowly dodged the teen, and moved his foot. Feeling himself get tripped, Mahiru groaned as his body hit the ground, and as he turns over, the brunet notices that Higan already disappeared. Getting on his knees, Mahiru stared in the direction he seen the red head leave, and felt a warm prickling behind his eyes. First Lawless, then Kuro, and now Licht. He really couldn’t protect anyone, could he? “Shit...”

“Mahiru!” someone yelled, causing the brunet to slowly glance up to see Misono, Lilly, Tetsu, and Hugh making their way over to him. Panting, Misono tried to get his breath back as Lilly fell to his knees, and glanced over the younger teen’s body. It didn’t look like he was hurt, but it wasn’t his physical body that hurt, it was his emotional one. Sighing, Mahiru glanced up at Lilly, who frowned as he saw the hearbreaking expression the teen had in their eyes. “Mahiru, are you okay. Where’s Kuro? And what happened around here?!”

Shaking his head at the Kuro part, Mahiru glanced at the ground again, and the friends looked worriedly at each other. The brunet looked like absolute shit. Tetsu scratched the back of his head, and walked over to the older teen. Holding out his hand, Mahiru glanced up at it, and slowly reached out to take it. Noticing the way the brunet’s legs shook as he stood, Misono frowned. Glancing around at the scene, the boy noticed blood stains, so there had to be a fight, and Mahiru must’ve witnessed it. Sighing, Misono crossed his arms, and gave Mahiru a look. He didn’t want to yell at him, but what else was he going to say?

“Hey Misono! Look at this!” Lilly yelped, and when everyone looked at the blond, they noticed he was holding a bright red flip phone. Blinking, Misono took it, and that’s when Mahiru noticed the charm on the side. It was a fox with two tails. Swallowing, the brunet wrung the charm around his fingers. How come the thing reminded him of Tsubaki? Opening it, the teens glanced at the background, and the brunet felt his blood run cold. There was a pic of Tsubaki, and a few more people. Looking them over, Mahiru recognized a few, but he felt his eyes widen as he noticed Sakuya was in the picture. Was he apart of this?! “I’m guessing it’s one of Tsubaki’s friends phone!”

“Yeah…” Misono trailed off, but all of a sudden, the phone vibrated in his hand, and played an deafening ring tone that caused everyone but Tetsu to jump lightly. Glancing at who was calling, Misono shushed everyone. It was Tsubaki. Pushing the answer button, the small teen placed it to his ear, and sighed. “Hello?”

“Thank god, someone found it! Higan! Someone got it!” the teen heard the loud voice even from where they were, and they noticed the way Mahiru had frozen up. Swallowing, Misono bit his lip. What was he going to say? Would Tsubaki even work with them? Probably not. “Listen, this phone belongs to one of my friends, so can you like, not lose the charm on it? By the way, who is this, and where did you find this phone?”

“I’m in no position to answer this, but I do know you have a couple of our friends,” Misono sighed, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. On the other side of the line, Tsubaki blinked, before an evil smirk rose on his face. Seeing the smirk, the others smiled as well, but Sakuya sighed, and glanced away. Whatever he was thinking, the green haired teen wanted nothing to do with it. So, this was Lawless and Licht’s friends? “We want them back, and even if it takes getting this cellphone back, we want to make a trade.”

“Hmm…no,” Tsubaki growled out into the phone, and Misono froze. What did the teen want? Seeing the boy freeze, Mahiru glanced at the other, who had equal worried faces. Swallowing, Mahiru shifted closer to Misono, who was forced to listen to the teen’s odd and loud laughter. Huh, no wonder Sakuya said it was stupid…it really was. “That offer sounds really boring. How about this? I will give you the other two back, as long as you give me my dear brother, Sleepy Ash. Doesn’t that sound like a better deal?”

Everyone around froze. Mahiru’s jaw dropped, while Misono glared at the phone. What in the hell kind of trade was that? Trading people for another person? What a sick bastard. When Tsubaki heard nothing but silence, he paused. It didn’t even look like they knew where Sleepy Ash had gone, which means, the older brother was not with them. Frowning, Tsubaki sighed, before thinking. “Not interesting at all…look just don’t break the charm. I’ll have someone get it back sooner or later. HAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Goodbye.”

“Wait!” Misono shouted, but when the dial tone was all he heard, the boy growled, and clicked the phone shut. Seeing that he hung up, the teens around him knew that the deal was not made. Mahiru glanced at the ground, rubbing a hand up his arm. He really did screw up didn’t he. Feeling a hand shuffle his hair, the brunet glanced up at Lilly, who was smiling sadly at him. Glancing back at the others, he noticed they were already walking away. Swallowing, the teen went to follow them, shifting closer to Lilly as he did it. For some reason, the blond’s kind and caring attitude made him feel a little better. “Come on. We’re going to Tetsu’s to think of something. We need to think of a plan to get the others back.”

\---------------------------

“U-ugh…where am I?” Lawless wakes up slightly, and glances around. He was obviously deep in some forest…but where. And was he tied to a tree. Shrugging in his bonds, the blond hissed as his ribs protested the movement. One of them just had to be broken. Thinking this, Lawless sighed, and glanced sadly down at the blood filled grass. Great, he was bleeding too. Closing his eyes, the blond took a careful breath in, and groaned. Everything hurt. He knew that if he tried hard enough, he could probably get out of the bonds, but right now, all he wanted to do was sleep. Tensing his fists slightly, the blond growled, and opened his eyes slightly. It was getting harder to stay awake. “I wonder where Licht is…or if anyone even knows I’m gone. Probably not…who would miss me. I have no one…so maybe this was the best…no. It’s not. S-someone…please…come help me.”

With a sigh, the blond teen relaxed into the tree, and his body surrcombed to the injures as the teen fell into another uneasy sleep. 

\------------------------------

It literally had been thirty minutes since the teens got back from the park, and into Tetsu’s home. All of them were huddled around a small table, and looking at the plan Misono was pointing out. They still had no idea where and what forest in the area that Tsubaki and the others have a hideout, but since Tsubaki now knows that they don’t have Kuro, or even know where the teen disappeared to, he figured that Licht and Lawless may be in more trouble now more than ever. Sighing, the teen rubbed his head, and rolled up the plan. It was giving him a headache just by looking at it. Patting the boy’s shoulder, Lilly gave Misono a small smile, and nodded towards Mahiru, who was sitting in the quietly at the end of the table.

“Okay…Mahiru. We’re going to see if some of Hugh’s friends have any idea where Tsubaki or anyone of his friends went, since he seems to mysterious sources everywhere out there,” Misono sighed, standing up. Mahiru glanced up, but when he tried to stand, Misono held a hand out, and gave him a stern look. Blinking, the brunet sat down again, and the purple haired teen sighed, before crossing his arms. “I’m sorry. But we all think you should stay here. You’ve been through enough today. Let us handle this okay?”

“But…O-okay, I understand,” Mahiru sighed, as he crossed his legs again, and placed his chin in his hand. Misono nodded, before walking out, and Tetsu and Hugh gave him one last glance before walking out with the smaller teen. Lilly stayed back, and when Mahiru looked at him, the blond patted his head again, before quickly following the others out. Sighing, Mahiru heard the door shut, and then silence rang across the whole room. A defeaning silence. Glancing at the table, the boy leaned his head against it, and began to think. Kuro entered his thoughts, and Mahiru whimpered. He knew that he really did screw up. Kuro was there for him when he felt upset about his mother…but when Kuro was upset, and he needed Mahiru’s help, the brunet was not there for him. Hell, he was even afraid of him when Kuro really needed his help. What kind of dance partner was he if he couldn’t even face his dormmate properly? He let the older teen face his pain alone. Feeling tears prick in his eyes again, Mahiru picked his head up off the table, and rolled into a ball. “K-Kuro…I’m sorry…I’m so sorry!”

Fat tears rolled down the boy’s cheeks as heavy sobs filtered out around the room. Mahiru’s body shook from the intensity, while his face got blotchy red, and his nose stuffed out. Taking a breath, more heart breaking sobs left the boy’s mouth as he thought about all the times Kuro looked like he needed help, and he just turned his back on the teen. Pulling at his hair, Mahru covered his ears as the silence made his cries sound loud. He needed to pull himself together, but it felt sort of good to get everything off his chest finally. After the ten minute mark had passed, the teen’s sobs and cries had finally turned to hiccups and sniffles. Getting up shakily, Mahiru wiped at his eyes, and glanced around the room for a bathroom. Walking out of Tetsu’s room, the brunet was relieved when he saw one. Going in, and shutting the door, Mahiru glanced in the mirror, and saw what a mess he was.

“Damn…I look like hell,” the boy muttered, sniffling again, before turning on the faucet, and running the cold water. Splashing some on his face, Mahiru sighed, and gently rubbed the water around his face. He needed to put himself back together, for Kuro’s sake. He really need to find him before Tsubaki did or something. Letting out a heavy sigh, Mahiru glanced in the mirror again, and his red puffy eyes stared determinedly back. He needed to do this. He knew he had. No more freezing up! Kuro needed his help, and for the love of everything, he was going to do everything in his power to help him! Nodding to himself in the mirror, Mahiru quickly ran out of the bathroom, towards the entrance of the blond boy’s house. Running past a lot of people, Mahiru put a determined smile on his face, and shuffled on his shoes. Slipping his black hoodie back on, and putting his small backpack back around his back, the boy ran out of the hot spring and took a deep breath. “Okay! Let’s do this!”


	8. Unconditional

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to let you all know the italicized words in the beginning of the chapter is something from Lawless' past, so please enjoy

_Why should anyone think that their life has any sort of meaning. Why do they think that all because they’re talented about something, that they should practice and try to become someone?_

_“A piano concert?! But whhhyy? I don’t wanna go, classical shit is so boring!” Lawless sighed, pouting as he sat on the stage, and stared at the theatre club’s president. Seeing the look on her face as she shifted around the papers in his arms, the blond sighed. He knew he wasn’t going to get out this, but trying wouldn’t harm anything, right? “Besides, we don’t know any pianists!”_

_“You don’t have much of a choice Lawless,” the girl sighed, as she finished organizing the papers, and tucking them under his arm as she glared at the pouting teen. Lawless groaned some more, and rocked back and forth on the stage. Seeing the glare on her face deepen, the teen grew serious. “We’ve already got things handled here, but I heard that someone plays a really good piano there, and we might need his help with the next play.”_

_“Fine, but I’m not happy about it,” the blond groaned, jumping off the stage, and following the girl out of the theatre. Once they got out in the hallway, and out of the building, the two dramatists jogged towards the music building, and Lawless followed her as they entered an auditorium filled halfway with other students. Sighing, Lawless glanced around, and noticed that some of them were crying. Blinking, the teen glanced up at the stage, and when he saw a teen around his age playing the instrument with a focused expression, Lawless listened to him play, before a smirk rose on his face. “It’s all decided then…time to introduce myself!”_

_Listening to the music until it ended, Lawless quickly jogged down the aisle, ignoring the theatre president’s calls after him, and stealthily made his way back stage where he knew the boy would be coming after he ended his slight bowing. Seeing the red curtain move, the blond grinned as he noticed the boy come back and when they met eyes, the teen glared lightly at him._

_“Okay, who let you back here, and why?” the teen asked, walking up to the blond, and glaring down at him. Hyde grinned at him, before jumping up, and meeting the teen head on. Taking a step back, the glaring boy sneered at him, but when someone else called him, both the teens glanced towards a teacher, who was making his way towards them. “Uncle Krantz, did you let him back here? He’s fucking annoying, so why?”_

_“Hm? I didn’t let him back here. Are you sure he’s not one of your fans, Licht?” the sandy-blond teacher asked, looking Lawless up and down. Oh, so his name is Licht? That’s interesting. Glaring at the blond, Licht growled, and shook his head. He just knew that this…rat was not one of the fans that were watching him. He looked like he belonged somewhere else but here to be honest. “Okay, then excuse for asking young man, but why’re you back here?”_

_“Oh, I just noticed his wonderful music, and I just couldn’t help myself just to come back here and try to say hi! Also, I’m Lawless. I’m a part of the theatre club, and we were wondering if Licht here, would like to play his wonderful piano for one of our plays,” Lawless snickered out, introducing himself in the meantime. Blinking, Krantz glanced at Licht, who was still giving Lawless a glare. He could tell that them getting along would be hard, but the thought of Licht performing for some other people besides the music department would be interesting. “So, do we have a deal?”_

_“Sure, since I usually schedule Licht’s performances, it would be nice for him to play elsewhere! Don’t give me that face Licht, this will be good for you, thanks so much for coming back here Lawless!” Krantz agreed, ignoring the threatening glare that his nephew was sending his way. Lawless grinned, and nodded, before making his way back towards the way he came. “Thanks again!”_

_“No problem, teach! I’ll see ya soon, Licht!” Lawless snickered out, slightly loving the glare he received. It looked like the teen wanted to kick him or something. Walking down the stage’s stairs, he glanced behind him again, before sighing. “That was more tiring then I thought it would be. Time to go back to the dorm. I wonder who my dormmate is!”_

_Once the blond found his room, he knocked, before entering. Seeing boots by the exit, he knew whoever he was sharing this place with was already here, but when Licht walked out to greet him, they stared at each other. Licht’s glare heightened tenfold, while Lawless’ smirk got more devious. Walking further in, the blond brushed passed the musical teen, before walking into their lounging area. Glancing around, he grinned. The place was nicer then what he expected._

_“Well Licht, looks like we’ll be dormmates! So, let’s get along, kay?” Lawless snickered out, turning around to see Licht practically stomping into the room. Staring into the glare with no fear, the blond walked towards the hallway where their bedrooms were, listening as Licht followed him. Glancing back at him, Lawless smirked. “I don’t expect much Licht, just prepare for a lot of papers being around! An actor has to practice!”_

_“DIE YOU SHIT RAT!” the teen screamed, throwing a kick in the blond’s direction. Yelping slightly as he was kicked roughly in the back, the teen wiggled out of the hallway just as Licht aimed another kick, which made the blond fall and break his glasses. Groaning as he sat up, Lawless watched as Licht stomped towards the door, and when the door slammed, and the dorm grew quiet, the other knew that the pianist stormed off. “Stupid Lawless…”_

_Lawless sighed, before getting up slightly, making his way towards the couch. Sitting on it, the blond glanced at his glasses and noticed that both the glass and the frame was cracked. Damn. That guy really does kick hard. Putting them on the table, the blond leaned back, and glanced at the ceiling. Humming out a slight melody from the musical Phantom of the Opera, Lawless closed his eyes, and began to think about the past. He thought about all his siblings, and his father. And when Sleepy Ash appeared in his head, the blond found his peaceful silence turned sour as he remembered everything that happened that night. Getting up, the teen sighed, and stretched. Glancing around the room, Lawless found his fun was draining away, so he walked towards the door, and slipped his shoes back on. Walking out the door, Lawless left it unlocked as his mind fell to dark places._

\-----------------------------------

Mahiru panted as he made his way back into town, and when he passed the park, he stopped running, and took deep breaths. He literally searched everywhere, and there was still no sign of Kuro. Not to mention it was getting late, and the sun was just beginning to set. Glancing at the sky, the boy sighed, before jumping slightly as his phone began to ring in his back pocket. Pulling it out, Mahiru glanced at whoever was calling, and when he saw a number he didn’t recognize, he furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Hello?” the brunet asked, as he picked up the phone. Hearing the frantic voice of Krantz, and Gill trying to calm him down, Mahiru had to pull his phone away from his ear because it was too loud. Sighing, Mahiru realized that Krantz got a hold of his phone number somehow, and just figured out that Licht was kidnapped. Hearing the teacher calm down, Mahiru pressed the phone back to his ear. “I’m sorry Mr. Krantz. Licht was kidnapped because I couldn’t do anything, but we will get him back!”

“It’s okay Mahiru…if I know those two, they could get themselves out of anything. But if you do try to get them back, please be careful. I really don’t want to lose any of my students,” Krantz sighed, nodding to Gil as the man asked him something from where they were. Mahiru muttered a, ‘yes sir,’ before a laugh made its way out of the sandy-blond. “You know, I’m not too worried. Even though I used to try to make Lawless be quiet by squirting him with a water bottle in doors. But one day, Licht tried, but he used a really powerful hose. You should’ve seen Lawless’ hair afterwards, he looked like a hedgehog!”

Chuckling slightly as the thought, Mahiru grinned, before muttering his goodbyes as the teacher told him he had to go and to be careful again. Hanging up his cell, the brunet sighed, and shoved the phone back into his pocket. At least one worry of Krantz finding out was off his chest. Glancing around the teen tried to think of anywhere else Kuro would go, but literally nothing came to mind. When they were still together in the dorm, the lazy teen would not go anywhere, and it took a lot of convincing to get him to go with him whenever he wanted to go somewhere. Deciding to check by the dorms again, Mahiru took a deep breath, before jogging towards the direction of C3.

“Kuro? Are you here?” Mahiru called, as he entered the dorm. Hearing nothing but silence, the brunet frowned, and toed off his shoes, before walking towards the lounge. The TV was off, and there was no sign of anyone being there, which means Kuro did not return. Sighing, Mahiru tries to think of more places as he heads back to the exit. Slipping on his shoes again, the teen fled out the door, and back out of C3. If Kuro did leave, he wouldn’t stay at the university, he would go somewhere private…but where? Deciding to check the café they always went to, Mahiru walked towards the place. He knew that Misono told him not to go near it at this time of day, but he had no other choice, he had to find Kuro. “I hope this works…”

Once in front of the small building, Mahiru took a deep breath, before pushing the door opening, hearing the usual bell ring of someone’s arrival. However, right as he walked in, the brunet was almost tackled as someone wearing some sort of dress stood in front of him. Swallowing, Mahiru glanced at the person, and recognized them to be the male that gave him and Kuro weird looks. Glancing down, Mahiru yelled as he realized the male was wearing the most shortest maid’s costume he had ever seen.

“Welcome Master!” the black-haired male said, inching closer to the flushing brunet. Mahiru shook lightly, before yelling at the top of his lungs, gaining some of the other customer’s attentions. Seeing someone run up to them, Mahiru watched as blond with long hair pulled the horrifying male back, and when they were behind the counter, another blond walked up to Mahiru. “I’m sorry Yumi-chan! But I needed to do it!”

“I’m so sorry about him…he’s sort of…special,” the blond sighed, reaching out to shake the younger teen’s hand. Mahiru nodded slightly, and when the other walked him towards the bar style looking counters, he sat down in the stool, and glanced at the three males who were goofing around. “I’ve never seen you here in the afternoon. Lilly tends to tell me you visit during the day. I guess I should introduce myself, huh? I’m Mikuni Arisuin, Misono’s older brother. Those dorks are Yumikage, Tsuguri, and Junichiro.”

“I d-didn’t know Misono had an older brother…but it’s nice to meet you, I’m Mahiru Shirota…” the brunet muttered out, and when he noticed Tsuguri smiling at him oddly, the boy shivered. Glancing at the blond, Mahiru sighed. At least someone looked a little normal…but was he carrying a doll in his pocket? Deciding not to ask, the teen sighed, and looked at his hands. “I only came here because I’m looking for my friend, Kuro. He walked out of dorm last night, and no one has seen him since. I thought he would be here, but I guess not.”

Staring slightly at the depressed brunet, Mikuni sighed, before watching Tsuguri greet more customers just as he did with Mahiru. Rolling his eyes, the blond glanced back at Mahiru and noticed he looked worried. It’s not like he didn’t want to help him, but running this place with Yumi and Tsuguri around took a lot of concentration. All of a sudden, an idea came to his head, and he pounded his hand on the table, scaring Mahiru to make the teen glance at him with wide chestnut eyes.

“I may have someone who could help you find Kuro! His actual name is Sleepy Ash, right? Well, I just happen to know a dorm that one of his brothers lives in. Has he ever told you about Jeje?” Mikuni asked, and when Mahiru’s eyes lit up, he smiled. Noticed he had the young male’s full attention, he pointed back his thumb towards C3. “Got to the arts dorming building, and find room three hundred and two, and don’t be intimidated by his size, Jeje is awful silent.”

“T-thank you Mikuni!” Mahiru gasped out, launching himself off the bar stool, as he ran towards the exit. Getting stopped by Tsuguri again, Mahiru gave the male a slightly cautious look, and hurried out of the café as the male tried to bribe him into giving him money for his earlier greeting. Watching Mahiru run towards the university, Mikuni sighed, before yelling at Tsuguri to get back to work, receiving a middle finger in response. Mahiru ran into the courtyard, and around the buildings. Luckily, he knew where the art building was since Koyuki goes to that area. Running into the dorming areas, Mahiru ran up the stairs, and when he got to the third floor, the teen glanced around for the room number Mikuni gave him. “Where is that room?!”

\------------------------------------

“Okay, thanks to Hugh’s contacts, we learned that Tsubaki’s group has a place in another forest. It’s a little distance from here, but I have someone who could get us there…I just got to wonder why they didn’t put it closer…maybe for that reason,” Misono sighed, pointing out a place on the map they currently had on the table. Seeing the other nod, the purple haired teen watched as Hugh chatted on a multi-person line, getting more info about the location. Circling the suspected area with red marker, the teen glanced around, and noticed Testu was walking back towards the hot springs. “H-hey! Where are you going?!”

“Hm? I think my parents need my help, and don’t worry. I’ll just ask Hugh about the plan later…I trust you, so I have nothing to worry about, right?” Tetsu asked, watching as Misono blushed slightly, before nodding. “Hugh, make sure to help them however you can, I’ll be in the back rooms if anyone needs me.” 

Nodding, Hugh got back to his conversation, while Misono stared at the map a little more. According to Hugh, Tsubaki’s group has a cabin in those woods, and they really know the area, which means they would have to think of something really great in order not to get caught in whatever trap the teen had set. Sighing, and rubbing his head, the short teen jumped lightly when a coffee was placed in front of him. Glancing up, Misono noticed Lilly giving him a small smile, before sitting down next to him.

“Where do you think Mahiru went?” the blond asked, watching as Misono sipped at the coffee, before shrugging. Sighing, they knew that the brunet had a habit of running off and doing his own thing. He was most likely looking for Kuro again. Hearing an excited yell, the two glanced up at Hugh as he hung up his phone, and ran over to them. Seeing him plop down, and look at them nervously, they had a feeling the older male had nerve racketing news. “What’d you find out brother?!”

“U-um…you guys may not like it, but I just found out that the cabin and the woods are heavily guarded…and most likely we may not be able to even get into the forest without a well thought out plan,” the brunet sighed, tapping on the table as he looked over the map where Misono circled. Groaning, Misono smacked his head on the table, while Lilly shot him an anxious look. “So…any good news on you guys’ ends?”

\-----------------------------

“T-thank god…I finally f-found it,” Mahiru panted, walking up at the door. It literally took the teen almost thirty minutes just to find the room that Mikuni had mentioned. How come it had to be on the farthest end of the floor?! Sighing, Mahiru got his breath back, before knocking on the door quietly. Waiting for someone to answer, the teen was not expecting to see a huge male open the door, and stare down at him…and for some reason the older teen had a paper bag over his head. Blinking, Mahiru gulped, before opening his mouth. “A-are you Jeje? If so…could I talk to you? I-it’s about Ku…Sleepy Ash.”

Seeing the scary looking male nod, and open his door wider, Mahiru gave him a tiny smile, before walking in. Following the quiet male towards the lounge, Mahiru glanced around as so many nice looks sculptures greeted him. That’s right, Jeje was a sculpting major. Smiling at them, the brunet sat down on the couch, and politely took a tea cup from the older male. Taking a sip, the teen sighed, and smiled lightly. It was good.

“What do you need to know about brother?” the teen asked quietly, and Mahiru took a minute to process his thoughts. Sighing, the teen placed the tea cup down, before folding his hands into his lap. Telling Jeje everything, Mahiru finished, and kept his eyes on the floor. Hearing a sigh, the brunet glanced up, and noticed Jeje looking at the ceiling, like he was thinking. Did he maybe know where Kuro went?! “Are you sure you checked everywhere in the park?”

Blinking, Mahiru shook his head, and Jeje nodded. Apparently, he knew where his older brother was, but the brunet knew that he needed to find it on his own. Finishing the last of their tea in silence, Jeje took their cups, and put them in the sink, while Mahiru stood up, and allowed Kuro’s brother show him out. Slipping on his shoes, Mahiru glanced at Jeje again, who muttered, ‘good luck.’ Nodding, and saying his thanks, Mahiru walked out of the dorm, and took the elevator back down to the ground floor. Running out of the art building, and making his way towards the exit of C3, Mahiru noticed that the only thing lighting his way was the bright full moon, and the stars. It was completely dark. Swallowing, the teen took a deep breath, and headed towards the park, hopping he would find the lazy teen there.

\------------------------------

“Well…would you guys look at that. We’re being spied on,” Tsubaki muttered, noticing some teens watching them as they entered the forest. Glancing around, Otogiri, Shamrock, Belkia, Higan, and Sakuya noticed the teens their leader was talking about. Who did they belong to? Sighing, they quickly made their way towards the center of the forest, and when the cabin was in their sights, they relaxed slightly. Unlocking the door, Tsubaki let them in, before closing the door behind them. Watching the four sit on the couch, and Sakuya settle at the window seat, Tsubaki sighed, before walking into the middle of the room. “I’m guessing that we’re going to have visitors soon enough. Most likely to get my older brother and his friend back. I think I am going to check the surrounding area for more spies, you guys stay here, okay?”

“Wait young master!” Shamrock yelped, standing up slightly as Belkia did the same. Glancing at them, Tsubaki blinked, before waiting for them to continue. Seeing him waiting, Shamrock sighed, before pushing his hair back. “Belkia and I may not be the most reliable, but what if it’s a trap?! Why don’t you send us or Higan?!”

“Yeah! Leave it to us, Tsu-Tsu!” Belkia cried out, hoping that Tsubaki would change his mind. “With our skills combined, we can beat whoever comes through! Please let us go instead! Don’t you trust us?!”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you guys, it’s actually quite the opposite. It’s because I trust you that I can go check out the area,” Tsubaki sighed, and Sakuya felt a nervous sweat run down his forehead. Just what was Tsubaki thinking? Glancing at their leader anxiously, Sakuya leaned back against the wall more. “Besides, you all know so well…No matter who will betray me, I in return, will not betray anyone.”

Hearing this, Sakuya swallowed back his smartass response, and just suited his need to talk back by glaring at the older male with nervous eyes. Watching Tsubaki leave, the green haired male watched as the other glanced at each other with different anxious thoughts then his own. Why did Tsubaki going out on his own make Sakuya think that something was off about the way the other was acting?

\----------------------------

“Okay, apparently, they said that Tsubaki had left the cabin and went somewhere in the forest, so I think he may be onto us,” Hugh sighed out, when the team made their way towards the gang’s hideout. Swallowing nervously, Mahiru thought over the plan again in his head. Was this really going to work? What if something went wrong? It would be his fault if anyone here got hurt. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Misono glanced back, and noticed Tetsu giving him a confident look. That’s right…everyone believed in him. “Now what do we do about him?”

Glancing back at the sandy-blond in the backseat, Misono sighed. That’s right…this was Licht’s Uncle and Mahiru and Kuro’s dance teacher. He knew that the other wanted to help, but it could be dangerous. The man looked determined though, and said he had a couple of friends who could hold off Tsubaki if they needed to, so he couldn’t help but say yes. It was a better option then running into the teen by themselves. Seeing the worried expression on Krantz’s face, Misono frowned. He had a feeling that the other was coming for another reason, but he knew that he shouldn’t bring it up. Seeing the look on Misono’s face, Hugh just sighed, and glanced back at Tetsu, who was staring at the forest with hard eyes. Feeling the car come to a stop, the teens got out, and glanced at the murky looking forest. Hearing Krantz getting out, Misono turned to face him. 

“Here’s the plan…um…Mr. Krantz, sir. Do you think you could stay here with Lilly and Hugh? Maybe man your guys you said you had to keep Tsubaki in line?” the teen asked, walking next to Testu. Seeing the sandy-blond looking like he was going to argue, Misono held his breath, but when the man relaxed, and let out a sigh and nodded, the boy relaxed. “Thank you, Tetsu and I are going in, in areas, we’ll both have microphones in our ears, and we’ll signal if we need help or anything. Please be careful out here!”

Seeing them nod, Misono and Tetsu glanced at each other, before nodding. Watching the blond run off into the forest, Misono took a deep breath, and began is walk into his path. Watching the boy walk into the forest and immediately disappear, Lilly bit his lip. He was nervous about letting Misono go in alone, but the boy was determined and he didn’t want to burden the other by going somewhere where he wasn’t wanted just yet. Sighing, Lilly glanced around, and watched as Krantz and Hugh talked to their people over their ear mics. He knew they weren’t very good at somewhat fighting, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to try.

“Okay…according to Hugh, the area they’re keeping Licht and Lawless should be around the cabin where they hang out…do they have them tied to a tree or something?” Misono asked himself, as he walked around the trees, keeping an eye out for anyone that was part of Tsubaki’s group. He knew they would know the forest better then him, so he would have to stay on his highest guard. Hearing someone walking around, Misono freezes behind a tree, and silently glances around to see a teen with weird green hair. Blinking, he sat down quickly, and pressed his mic. “L-Lilly…it’s Sakuya Watanuki…Mahiru’s friend…what should we do…I think I may need help…”

“What do we have here?” Hearing a voice, Misono gasped, and turned around quickly to see Sakuya looking at him. Hearing the gasp from over the line, and Sakuya’s voice, Lilly quickly got up off the car, and Hugh and Krantz watched as the tall blond ran into the forest, despite their warnings. Misono heard Lilly say he was on his way, but when Sakuya pulled out a switch blade, and gave him a cheeky smirk, the boy swallowed, and quickly stood up, backing away. Hearing pounding footsteps, both teen turn around to see Lilly running towards them. Backing away, Sakuya jumped back just as the blond ran in front of Misono giving him a glare. “Looks like Tsubaki was right…we got intruders in a place where they don’t belong, and I have strict orders to get rid of anyone I see that doesn’t belong.”

“Tetsu, it’s up to you…we ran into trouble,” Misono muttered in his mic, holding on tightly to Lilly’s back, as they backed up from Sakuya’s switch blade. “Please be careful.”

“Got it Shorty,” the blond said through his own, as he continued to run further into the swampy floor of the forest. “I’ll do my best.”

\-----------------

“Okay…Jeje told me to check out the park…but I still don’t see anything,” Mahiru sighed, running around the park some more. Where was he supposed to check? Letting his running slowly fade to walk, Mahiru panted, and glanced around. It was hard to see anything, even though the moon gave him a bit of light to use. Glancing up as some clouds separated from the moon, the brunet sighed, and silently wished that the older teen would’ve told him more, even if he didn’t want him too. Glancing around some more, Mahiru blinked, and squinted lightly as he noticed something glowing. Walking towards the bushes, the boy pushed them back, and noticed some police reflector tape. Blinking, he pushed through the green bushes, and as he got further, he noticed a metal chain link fence, and some solar lights. “W-what happened here? I don’t remember seeing this…I don’t remember being here this late either…I need to get back there though.”

Making up his mind, the boy grabbed one of the solar lights, and glanced around the fence. Part of it had a hole in it, enough for someone to slide under with getting themselves hurt. Kneeling down, Mahiru shined the light on and noticed footprints, and a body print. It looked like someone was there before. Blinking, he slid under the fence, and slowly glanced around. He was nervous, but Mahiru knew that Kuro might be here. Letting out a breath, Mahiru slowly began to walk forward on the old looking grassy path. He noticed as he got further in, more and more trees looked like they were dying, and the ground around him grew swampy. Swallowing a lump in his throat, the brunet tried to ignore the way his shoes seemed to sink in the ground, but as he flashed the solar light around, he noticed that the dead trees seemed to be clearing slightly, which meant he was almost there to wherever this creepy…spooky…area was taking him. 

“Thank god for those lights…it’s pitch dark…wait, what’s that?!” Mahiru gasped, as the trees finally cleared, and he came to a huge clearing. Glancing around fast, the teen made sure there wasn’t anyone around, before he stepped in the wide-open area. Swallowing, Mahiru yelped as he stepped on something, and when he flashed the light on whatever it was, the teen noticed it was a pink rubber duck. Blinking at it, Mahiru looked at it more, and noticed it looked pretty old, and worn down, like it was used for a long time. Getting back up, the brunet flashed the light around the area, and sighed. “Damn, the lights fading. Cellphone flashlight…there.”

Putting the now dim solar light down, Mahiru flashed the brighter light around, and that’s when he noticed the clearing at more toys around. Walking further in, the brunet looked at all the toys. Did children live here a long time ago or something? Noticing more toys, the boy took a chance to stop and look at them. There were pink teddy bears, some broken plastic swords, old purple shoes, a beaten up stuffed hedgehog that looked like it seen better days, more ducks, some old worn out clothes, and when Mahiru came to see something glimmer, he froze. Flashing his phone’s flashlight on it. A knife. Observing it closer, Mahiru noticed it had something red stained on it. Picking it up lightly, the boy flashed the light, and when he realized it was blood, he quickly dropped it. Falling on his butt, the brunet glanced around.

“W-what went on over here?!” he asked out loud, but all that met him was silence. Swallowing, Mahiru stood up again, and walked over the knife. Making his way further into the clearing, the brunet felt his eyes widen as more toys and blood stained weapons came into his line of sight. There were more knives, a whip, rusty handcuffs that looked like they had blood on them too, barbed wire…Damn. “I d-don’t think I want to know…but…is that a house?”

Seeing an old looking house at the end of the clearing, Mahiru swallowed, and slowly made his way over to it. The old broken down house had broken windows, holes, moss, and it looked like some parts of the ceiling caved in. Biting his lip, the teen walked closer to the house, before stepping on something soft. Glancing down underneath his foot, the teen noticed a small light blue jacket. Swallowing, he picked it up, and looked it over. The coat was small, obviously meant for a little boy, and its hood had black fur on it, shaped like cat ears. Smiling lightly, Mahiru immediately thought of Kuro, but as he turned around, he froze. The back of the coat was stained with blood, and when he looked at the sleeves, the ends were as well. Dropping the coat, Mahiru shivered, and paled. 

“Did…what happened here?!” Mahiru yelped, but he took a deep breath. Freaking out was not going to save him right now. Looking back towards the house, the teen slowly walked up the porch, hearing it creak under his weight, and walked up the porch. He did not like the way the air around the house felt. It was cold…like he was unwanted here, even if it was abandoned. Looking around the porch, Mahiru felt himself smile as he noticed more kids’ things laying around. There was a pink tricycle, two yellow and orange unicycles, a purple mirror, a yellow bear…but nothing light blue like the coat out in the field. Swallowing uneasily, Mahiru looked further into the jagged porch, and felt bile rise in his throat as he seen bloody chains in the far corner of the porch. Glancing away fast, the teen quickly and quietly opened the creaky door, and carefully stepped inside. “K-Kuro…are you here? Is anyone here?!”

Stepping further in, Mahiru shut the door behind him, and glanced around. Some of the floor boards were broken, and there were giant holes in the floors. Licking his lips, Mahiru took a breath, and coughed lightly as the air was dry and dusty. Letting out a few breaths, the brunet slowly walked towards the stairs. For some reason, they were drawing him towards them. Stepping on the old steps one at a time, Mahiru glanced at the wall as some photos were still on the walls. Noticing one, the brunet stopped, and looked it over. It was a portrait of a family. A family of seven…but for some reason, the parent in the picture had their face scratched off. Swallowing, Mahiru shook his head, not wanting to look at it anymore. Glancing further up the stairs, the teen finally made his way up, and looked around down. Seeing more footprints in the dust, the brunet felt hope rise in him. Someone was here!

“H-hello?!” he called out, walking further away from the stairs, and when he noticed two hallways, and many doors, the boy stopped. In the middle of one of those hallways was a machete. Swallowing, the brunet slowly walked over to it, and flashed the phone light on it. There was more dried blood on the weapon, but not just there. Glancing around, Mahiru became aware of more blood around the floors. It looked like they were dried up puddles, but there was more of the disturbing red on the walls, like it got splattered. Seeing the footprints in the dust again, Mahiru tried to ignore the gruesome scene, and followed them towards the other direction. They kept going until the teen stopped in front of a door that was at the furthest of the first corridor. “M-man…it’s really dark in here…this is really sad for some reason.” 

Glancing around the wall, the boy saw more blood splatters, and when he glanced at the rug beneath his feet, he noticed he was standing on another blood-stained wall. Swallowing the bile rising in his throat that rose, Mahiru sighed, before reaching out to touch the door knob. It was cold, and when he turned it, the door made the most horrifying creak noise, like it hasn’t gotten a proper oiling yet. Knocking on it, the brunet opened the door further, and when he was met with silence, Mahiru stepped into the room. Seeing the walls painted black, Mahiru froze. It looked just like…was he…in Kuro’s old family home?! That would explain the children in the photo and all the toys outside in the clearing.

“K-Kuro? Is that you?” Mahiru asked, pushing the door fully open, as he walked into the room. Seeing the moonlight from the hole above the ceiling shine in, the brunet glanced around the room, and noticed a body shaking in the corner. Seeing the messy blue hair, Mahiru gasped as he watched Kuro curl up tighter, and tremble more. Walking a little closer, the brunet heard the older teen whimpering things out, but as he got closer, he finally heard the mumbles get a little louder. “Kuro?”

“I-it was my fault…he died because of me…all because I wouldn’t let him punish me anymore…I was only trying to h-help my other siblings…I t-took the punishment so they wouldn’t have too…the whippings…the cuts…b-barbed wire…it was all because of me…I wasn’t good enough…” Kuro whimpered, and Mahiru felt his eyes widen. The bloody clothing flashed back to his mind, and then the scars on Kuro’s lower back from when he saw them at the hot spring. Those were all done to him by their father. Feeling tears rise in his eyes, Mahiru walked further in the room until he was right in front of Kuro. Sitting down, the teen put his hand on Kuro’s shaking knee, and tried to shush him. “W-whenever I would d-dance…or try to be happy…the s-shock bracelet around m-my a-ankle would electrocute me…it was o-only to make me listen…I should’ve l-listened. W-was it right to kill him?! E-even after he grew bored of me…e-even if he was g-going to go after the r-rest of us? W-was it the right thing t-to do to redirect the m-machete from me t-to him…w-was it right to leave them e-even if some of them blamed me?! T-they needed me…a-and I left…I a-am the worst person e-ever…”

Feeling the tears finally leak out of his own chestnut eyes, Mahiru sniffed, and froze as he saw Kuro glance up at him. The teen’s red eyes were pink and puffy and huge tears were falling down his face as he shook. Feeling the older teen shake harder, Mahiru tightened his grip, and tried to get closer to the now sobbing teen. Hearing the most heartbreaking sobs bubbled out of Kuro’s mouth, all Mahiru could do at the moment was listen to them as they echoed around the room. Swallowing his own sob, Mahiru pushed Kuro’s knees about, and moved in between the teen’s legs, putting his hands on the other’s shoulders. The body shook hard in his grasp as the hard sobs left the teen’s mouth. 

“I-it’s all my f-fault…I k-killed him! H-he would b-beat me f-for just e-enjoying myself…d-dancing would get me s-shocked…I was c-chained out on the p-porch...” Kuro sobbed out, shaking hard as Mahiru tried to get him to be quiet. “I…I…”

“Kuro! Shut up!” Mahiru yelled out, smacking the teen’s cheeks with his hands. The sound of skin hitting skin echoed around the room, as the brunet kept his hands-on Kuro’s face, noticing the skin around his hands start to turn red from the hit. Seeing the cloud around the older teen’s eyes clear, and his sobbing slow down to small gasps and hiccups, Mahiru smiled sadly at him. Blinking, Kuro sniffed, before slowly focusing on Mahiru. Lifting his hands, the older teen wrapped them around the younger teen’s warm wrists, and sighed. He was real…he wasn’t part of his imagination. “Kuro, you idiot, you better listen to me, and listen good. I came here to find you because I’m tired of running away! I wanted to face you head on! I don’t care about what you did in the past! I can tell you regret everything so much! You are wrong though! It’s not your fault about that man getting killed! It’s not your fault at all! You are good enough! But being wrong or right is not something for me to decide for you! It’s not something the world could decide for you either! It’s you Kuro! You are the only one who could decide! You feel like you made the wrong choice, and it takes courage to admit that you might have handled the past the wrong way! Because it went against how you were living now! But, it’s okay now Kuro…if you do really regret the way you handled things in the past, then there is not time to stop here. Come on Kuro, get up! Let’s do it together! You are not alone anymore!

Staring up at Mahiru, Kuro felt his eyes widen. Seeing the teen speechless, the brunet pulled Kuro into him, and wrapped his arms around the teen’s neck. Feeling more tears roll down his cheeks, the older teen let out a tiny sob, and wrapped his arms around the younger teen’s waist. Mahiru felt Kuro tighten their hold, and press his knees more into his sides. Mahiru smiled softly, and buried his face into the older teen’s shoulder. Doing the same, Kuro stifled his sobs, and just took in the comforting scent Mahiru had on him, and the warmth of another body pressed into him. Feeling Kuro’s calming down heartbeat against their tightly pressed together chests, the brunet closed to eyes, and sighed. He was finally reunited with him…and he knew things about him that made want to cry and hug Kuro forever. But the most important thing, was that Kuro was here with him, and he could just tell by the way he was holding himself, that Kuro was feeling a lot better than before. Feeling the teen stop shaking, Mahiru pulled back lightly, so that they could look at each other.

“Okay? I’m here with you…forever…you’re now stuck with me Kuro,” Mahiru whispered, cupping the older teen’s face again, brushing his tears away with his thumbs. Kuro sniffed, before nodding lightly. Pushing the teen’s hair away from his eyes, Mahiru smiled, feeling relieved, before laughing gently. They both looked a mess. Hearing the teen laugh, Kuro watched it with bright eyes, and when Mahiru focused on him again, Kuro pressed their foreheads together. Mahiru felt his cheeks light up, but he continued to stare steadily into the other’s calm red eyes. Seeing him close his eyes, Mahiru watched as a small smile rose on his face, and the brunet could not help but stare. “I’m here…”

“T-thanks Mahiru…I wouldn’t want it any other way.”


	9. In The Name Of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to thank my friend Mido, or AkaiSekai that helped me with doing the beta for this chapter! So thank you my friend! <3

Tsubaki sighed, and glanced around the murky forest. It was starting to get foggy, and by the looks of the sky, it seemed like it was going to downpour soon. Frowning at the cloudy sky, the teen sighed, before walking further around the perimeter. It didn’t seem like anyone was around, but for some reason, something was irking the teen. Letting his eyes scan some more around the trees, Tsubaki suddenly yelped as he noticed someone sitting on one of the branches, looking down at him. Backing up a little, the teen glanced around some of the other trees, and noticed a few more people. What in the world was going on? 

“Well, well, well…I didn’t expect to see any other people but us in this place, would you fellas like to come down, and we can talk face to face?” Tsubaki called out to the trees, and watched as only one of them slid down. It was an older man with ruffled hair and a…long ass beard. Blinking, Tsubaki stared at it, wondering if it was a fake one as his eyes followed it up and down, before he glanced back at the man’s face. His eyes were the same color as Sakuya’s but a little lighter and a bit duller with age. Swallowing slightly, the teen smiled at him, and crossed his arms. “That’s better, I’m guessing I don’t need to worry about your friends up there? But what can I help you gentlemen with today?”

“We were told by a hidden source that you have someone very important to us, and we want him back, and his friend,” Gil responded, keeping his eye on every move that Tsubaki made. Feeling a grin rise on his face, Tsubaki placed his hands in the back pocket of his jeans, and slowly twirled in a circle. So, they wanted Lawless and Licht back? Were they the ones who made the deal? No…the one who made the deal sounded younger than this man. And something told him that this man and his friends were somewhat related to Licht and Lawless. Stopping his twirling, the teen faced Gil again, and the older man swallowed anxiously as he noticed the tight smirk the younger boy was giving him. “I’m guessing by the way you’re looking at me, you refuse to do so.”

“You got that right Gramps, if you guys want your precious teens back, you hand me big brother, it’s plain and simple,” Tsubaki snickered out, removing his hand from his pocket to show them a small map. Blinking as he saw it, Gil tried to make out what it said, but the teen moved the map towards his belt with a confident smirk. So, that’s how they were going to play this, huh? But what was he going to offer, they literally have no idea where his older brother is. Seeing the hesitation in the older man’s expression, Tsubaki sighed, and slowly walked closer to him. “I can clearly see that you don’t have big brother, so how about this? We have a little fun, and play a little bit of keep away. You can have the map to Lawless and Licht’s location, if you can get it off my belt. You can do anything to get it, so how about it?”

Growling lightly at the little game the teen made this into, Gil sighed. He began to realize how much Lawless and this guy had in common. They both had to make everything into a game. Staring the other down, Gil thought about it and nodded. Looking above, he gave the other people in the trees a whistle, and Tsubaki watched as they kneeled up on the trees, in some sort of battle position. Glancing back at Gil, the teen laughed, and slowly backed up. Tsubaki couldn’t be that hard to catch, after all, he went after Lawless a lot. Letting out another sigh, Gil circled the other teen, watching as he watched him. The others in the tree wouldn’t do anything but guard the area so that Tsubaki wouldn’t escape. This would not be hard at all, except when Gil suddenly launched forward at the teen, and reached for the map, he was shocked to feel Tsubaki’s hand on his shoulder as his body flipped away from his.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. I’m pretty skilled at parkour since I took a gymnastics class a while ago. Although I’m an acting major now, I took all sort of classes because they got so boring…now Gramps, let’s see if you can catch me,” Tsubaki explained, once he landed on his feet easily. Tensing his fists, Gil growled, and glanced around. Damn. That’s why no one knew him for long! He always switched majors once he lost interest in them! Feeling the air around them shift slightly, Gil gasped as Tsubaki appeared in front of him again, and jumped over him with ease, using the tree trunks for his leaping height. “Come on, no dazing off now. Do you really want to win, or are you just realizing that I am not that easy to beat?”

“Shut up brat!” Gil growled, turning as he swung himself forward to try and kick the teen. Jumping up easily, Tsubaki did some flips, and landed further away from Gil. Seeing the older man getting irritated, Tsubaki laughed, before running towards him again. Dodging the punches, kicks, and attempts to grab the map, Tsubaki jumped on the older man’s shoulder again, before landing, and sighing. This was getting boring fast. Standing back up, and feeling the glare the other was giving him, Tsubaki stared at the other as he took another position. “Stand still! How in the hell can you even move like that?!”

Seeing more attempts of being kicked and punched, the younger male sighed, before leaping off Gil’s shoulders to sit on a smaller tree. Letting his legs move back and forth, Tsubaki stared down at the panting other. He did move pretty fast for someone his age, but since he seemed to know Lawless, the teen figured that was the reason. Letting out a bored hum, Tsubaki glanced up towards the sky as he noticed it was beginning to cloud up more and a few drops of rain began to filter down. Hearing the other’s footsteps coming towards him, Tsubaki focused on Gil again, and dug in his front pocket. Sliding down from the tree, and landing gracefully, the younger male sighed, before staring at the older man with his hands on his hips.

“I have to admit, you move pretty fast for an old man,” the teen hummed out, watching a slight twitch follow his statement. Grinning, Tsubaki flicked his switch blade behind his back. “Where did you learn how to move that way, huh?”

“Who else did you think taught Lawless to tango for his major? He didn’t learn how to move that way by himself,” Gil growled out, moving around the teen again. Seeing something shiny glint behind Tsubaki’s back, the older man furrowed his brow, before taking a few steps back from the dangerous feeling he was getting from the other. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing!”

“I’m getting pretty bored with all this jumping around and you dodging thing,” Tsubaki muttered out, showing Gil his switch blade now. Seeing the others around the trees tense, the teen grinned and spun the blade in his hand. Gil glared at the weapon, before giving the teen a stern glance over. Was he really going to start using the blade on him? Is he really going to go to that length because he was simply getting bored. Feeling a few more raindrops beginning to fall, Gil backed up some more, just as Tsubaki raised his hand and gave him a murderous smile. “Now come. Let’s make this more interesting. Let’s have some fun!”

\---------------------------------

“Hold still dammit!” Sakuya growled out, slashing his switch blade yet again at the two teens. Lilly yelped, and quickly pushed Misono back more. Feeling the blade slice his forearm, the blond hissed, but kept pushing them back more. Once Sakuya stopped moving to glare at them, Lilly pressed his hand on the bleeding wound, while Misono checked if he was okay. Turning to glance at the green haired teen, Misono bit his lip. He obviously had no regrets to hurt someone…and he just pull out another blade?! “Okay, let’s have some fun. Which switch blade is the real one hmm? Is it the left one? Or the right one? Or am I just telling one big lie? Which is it, hm?”

Swallowing, Misono worried his bottom lip between his teeth. What if both of them were real? They couldn’t risk it, since Lilly is already hurt. Kneeling down to his friend’s side, Misono pulled his bloody hand off the wound, and checked it. The slash didn’t look like it went too deep, which made the boy sigh. Feeling a hand wrap around his, Misono glanced back up at Lilly to see pain in the red eyes, but he looked pretty convinced. What was he going to do? It’s not like Lilly could fight, it’s pretty much the opposite, Lilly wasn’t meant for that. Seeing him stand, Misono did as well, and allowed the blond to shuffle him behind him. Why did he want to protect him so much?”

“Misono, please stand back…I don’t want you getting hurt…” Lilly whispered, standing more in front of the purple haired teen when Sakuya raised his blades again. Running at them, Lilly quickly grabbed Misono, who squeaked in protest, and quickly tossed him on a tree branch just has he got slashed on the shoulder this time. Hearing the hiss of pain, Misono quickly pulled his legs up, and watched as Lilly’s body winced from the impact. Watching Sakuya bounce back again, he glanced down at the blond, and observed the way Lilly pressed his already bloody hand into his shoulder. “Please Misono…I’m tougher than I look. Please just stay up there, and keep in contact with the others. I’ll be fine!”

Watching the two fight around some more, and Lilly trying to figure out which blade is fake, while getting slashed, Misono fights to keep his thoughts clear as he tries to go over the plan some more. What to do? There’s no one else here who could help them, and he could just tell that Lilly is getting tired. Gripping his hair, the boy suddenly gasped, and quickly turned his ear mic back on. He just noticed that Sakuya wasn’t aiming for fatal areas, which means that he may be trying to prolong something. Swallowing, the teen quickly buzzed into Hugh’s own mic.

“Hugh! I think Tetsu may be in trouble…yeah, we’re fine for now, just please…try to get a hold of that idiot! Yeah, I know! I said we’re fine! Just do it now!” Misono growled out fast, just as he noticed Sakuya sprint faster at Lilly, who finally collapsed, obviously exhausted. Sliding off the tree branch as fast as he could, the teen glanced around, and noticed a small branch. Grabbing it, Misono turned around fast, and threw it towards Lilly. “Lilly! The branch! Hurry!”

Seeing the branch being tossed, the blond struggled up, avoiding the double slashes by Sakuya by the skin of his teeth, before grabbing the branch. Seeing the green haired teen spin around again, Lilly swung the branch out, and watched as it got sliced by both blades. Stepping back more and more, the blond swallowed, before finally reaching Misono. Reaching out, Misono gently patted Lilly’s back, and glanced down. The taller teen’s legs were shaking. He knew it wouldn’t be long before Lilly collapsed again. Gritting his teeth, the younger teen watched as Sakuya stared them down again with both blades raised. If both of them cut the wood, how would they know which one was actually real and the other wasn’t a prop? How was he going to get Sakuya to lower his blades?!

“Do you really want to be doing this?! We’re Mahiru’s friends! If you try to harm us, he will know! Do you want Mahiru to get hurt as well?! I thought you were his best friend!” Misono yelled out, moving in front of Lilly a little, still holding the blond’s back. Seeing the green haired male falter, Misono realized that using Mahiru’s name might make him back off. Swallowing a nervous lump in his throat, Misono glanced back at Lilly to see the other male breathing hard, but he still looked like he was on the defensive. “Just let us go, and we won’t tell Mahiru you were a part of this!”

“YOU DON’T GET TO DO THAT!” Sakuya yelled, making Misono flinch hard, and Lilly try to move the shorter teen behind him again. Sakuya twirled his blades again, but instead of seeing the look of bloodlust in his eyes, the two noticed a really upset and hesitant glimmer in his red eyes. Sakuya gripped the handles of his blades again, before slowly putting them down, and giving the teens a heartbroken expression. “Y-you don’t know anything! Of course I don’t want to hurt Mahiru. H-he’s means the world to me…but Tsubaki…he helped me a lot…even though I don’t like him…I c-can’t betray him, just like he can’t betray us. B-but…. DAMN IT! JUST SHUT UP!!!!”

Seeing Sakuya spin the blades again, Misono frowned as he saw small tears in the other’s red eyes. He really did not want to do this? Then why was he attacking them to begin with? Sakuya growled, and slammed his eyes shut, before sprinting towards them with his blades drawn up again. Grabbing Misono, Lilly pulled him closer to his body, before blocking the blades with the branch. Hearing a snap, Lilly cursed, and dropped the now broken wood, shoving the flustered teen behind him more and more. Sakuya heard the branch snap, before glancing up again. His eyes were still misty with tears, but now all his anger seemed to be drained, and just sadness remained. Lowering the blades again, Sakuya let out a small sob, before letting his bangs cover his glistening eyes.

“Y-you guys don’t understand…Tsubaki just wanted to have Sleepy-Ash…but since none of you would hand him over…he went on with taking it out on the other siblings…You there, the blond, you were supposed to be first, but Lawless beat you to it. He didn’t really want to attack you guys…but how would you feel if everyone forgot about you?!” Sakuya demanded, slowly putting his blades in his pockets. Seeing the weapons being put away, Lilly finally collapsed, and Misono bit his lip. Seeing the blond hit the grass, Sakuya glanced away guiltily. Worrying his lip between his teeth, Sakuya sighed, before turning to face them again. Noticing this, Lilly tried to stand again, but his legs gave out. “I’m n-not going to attack you anymore…I really did not want to do this. But…Just please…stay here! If Tsubaki finds out that I…ugh…just…stay put! I need to go…”

Seeing the other start to run in another direction, Misono fell to his knees beside Lilly, and looked over his wounds. However, when he heard Sakuya’s foot falls stop, he paused and noticed the teen was now still, but his back was facing them. Swallowing, Misono tightened his grip on Lilly’s shirt, before holding his breath lightly as Sakuya turned to face them again. Seeing the shaken expression in his eyes, Misono blinked, but noticed a small pack of bandages being thrown in his direction. Seeing them land on the grass, the teen blinked, before glancing back up at Sakuya again, who was running away again. 

“M-Mahiru…. ugh…I need to find Tsubaki, and fast!”

\--------------------

“Tetsu?! Where are you? I’m trying to catch up! Stop moving before you’re caught! It’s a trap!” Hugh growled out, cursing his tiny legs and the swampy floor of the forest. This is why he wanted to be a History teacher, running and any other exercise were not his thing. Hearing Tetsu reply, the brunet groaned. He was already caught and had to stop running. Letting out a heavy sigh, the smaller teen ran as fast as he could as Tetsu told him where he was. Once he seen the tall blond standing in a small clearing, he ran faster until he was right next to the frozen blond. “God, how did you get caught any…ways?”

Trailing off, Hugh turned around to see three others standing there, watching him. Blinking his red eyes, the teen put his hand on his hip and pointed at the teens. One looked like a clown, the other obviously was trying to be a pirate, and the girl…what was she doing here? Were they a part of Tsubaki’s group? It looked like that might be the point. Frowning, Hugh glanced up at Tetsu, and noticed the blond was tensed. What made him so nervous? 

“They got weapons Hugh…we don’t have anything, what do we do?” the younger teen asked, moving in front of the older teen slightly. Blinking, Hugh frowned more, before he glanced back at the three delinquents. Watching something glimmer, Hugh watched as the pink haired clown brought out two long machete like blades, the pirate brought out small round ball like things, and the girl brought out long needles. Damn…they were armed. Growling, Hugh glanced back up at Tetsu, who was tensing his jaw. “What do we do?!”

\---------------------

“Ugh…I need to g-get up…I’m still trapped…” Lawless grumbled out, slowly opening his eyes again to notice he was still tied up pretty much. Leaning up as much as he could, the blond closed his eyes and groaned. Every part of his body hurt. Opening his eyes slowly again, and tried to tug his hands out of their binds, but when they wouldn’t budge, he growled. Leaning up more, Lawless hissed as his body protested the movement, and soon stopped moving all together. Noticing the grass around him all red, the blond sighed. He knew he was still bleeding, but was it really worse than he thought? Hearing another groan, Lawless blinked, and slowly let his eyes rise enough to see someone else tied to the tree across from his. It looked like they were just gaining consciousness as well, and when cold blue eyes met his own red, Lawless felt his jaw drop. “L-Licht?! W-what?!”

Noticing the blond, Licht growled deeply, and pulled at his hands. Seeing the angry teen fighting to get out of his bindings, Lawless let this happen until Licht grew quiet, and just let out quiet huffs of anger. Getting up as much as he could, the teen glared up at Lawless, who was still watching him silently. What was he staring at? It was his fault that they got into this mess. But…what if it wasn’t? He wouldn’t be bleeding out like he is now if it wasn’t his fault. Swallowing back another growl, Licht got up as much as he could, before finally sitting still. He knew that he wouldn’t get out of those binds by getting mad, but what else was he supposed to do?

“Finally stop acting like a child yet, Angel cakes?” Lawless asked, receiving a glare from the other teen. Returning the glare, Lawless growled, before looking away. He really did not have the energy to fight, and he couldn’t believe that the other did too since he was in worse condition then himself. Letting his eyes look over Licht’s body, Lawless took in the way the other was not using his right shoulder. Was it sprained? Letting his eyes go around more, the blond took in all the slash marks that were in the teen’s clothes, and he could clearly see the blood still pooling around the wounds. Why did he get attacked when Tsubaki was only after the siblings? “Look, we should just wait it out and see what that demon child wants. I mean, we’re both injured and it doesn’t seem like you wouldn’t be able to fight since you’re in worse condition then me.”

“What the hell are you saying, Shitty Rat? Give up, right? Of course you would want to give up. All because it looks like we are in the deep end, you just want to quit! I don’t know about you, but I am getting out of here alive, even if it kills me in the end, I’m not staying here! If you want to stay here and die, fine by me!” Licht yelled out, gently moving the rope up and down on the tree. He knew the rough texture of the tree would slice the fibers of the rope so he could pull himself free, but it would take some work. Maybe making himself angry would help fuel his strength. Seeing Lawless give him an empty look, Licht growled, and pulled harder at the bindings. “I am not like you! I will fight for my life! What have you been doing here before I got captured?! I bet you have been sitting around, waiting for your demise! You were, weren’t you?!”

“SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! You don’t know anything! You think you know me but you don’t! Maybe I wanted it to end here! Maybe I didn’t! Maybe I just wanted to wait it out and not get myself killed! I did not ask to get this done to me!” Lawless yelled out, thrashing in his bonds. Licht watched as the blond fought with everything he had, but all the bindings did were creaking and giving slight tearing noises. Rubbing his own bindings a little bit harder, Licht smirked a little as he noticed the thicker parts of the rope start to ware down. “I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO! YOU CAN FIGHT AND GET KILLED FOR ALL I CARE! I WANT TO KEEP MY LIFE!”

Hearing something fall to the ground, Lawless took a deep breath, before noticing that Licht had somehow got out of his ropes, and was shakily standing up. Blinking, the blond let out a sigh, before trying to calm his boiling anger that was currently rising in his body. This angel bastard was seriously getting on his nerves. Feeling another wave of anger flying through him, Lawless tugged at his ropes more, and when they snapped, and he was free, the blond stood up, and gave Licht a sneer. Watching the ropes fall, and the way Lawless was breathing heavily and his eyes were dark with emotion, Licht gritted his teeth as he realized he might have hit a nerve. Tensing his body, the older teen growled just as Lawless sprung forward, ready to attack.

“Shit Rat!” Licht growled out, holding his arm hard as he quickly dodged Lawless. Hearing the teen’s face hit the tree, Licht slowly stepped back, feeling his body let out more blood the more he moved. If they both kept this up, the both of them would soon faint from blood loss. Hearing another growl, the teen gave the angry blond his attention again, but as he did, Licht felt his breath leave him as Lawless speared him into a tree. Quickly kicking the blond off, Licht coughed up blood, just as the blond rolled in the middle of their fight zone. “Lawless! S-shit! Calm down would you? We’re both injured! Do you want to die from blood loss?!”

Not hearing a response from the usually annoying blond, Licht slowly straightened his body, feeling more blood leak down his back, and his shoulder gave a huge shockwave of pure white pain. Letting out deep, shaky breaths, Licht glared at the growling blond, before running at the other. Fine, if Lawless wanted to play this way, then he would play along. Noticing Lawless run at him too, the older teen quickly avoided Lawless’ attempt to punch, and swiftly released a rolling kick into the other’s back. Lawless yelped out in pain, but held his ground as much as he could, before grabbing Licht’s leg, and throwing him over his shoulders and onto the hard ground back first. Letting out a gasp of pain, Licht tried to get up as fast as his shoulder would let him, but before he could he noticed Lawless try to stomp down on his body.

“Yeah right, Shitty Rat!” Licht snapped out, kicking his legs up just in time to wrap them around the blond’s waist, so he could twist him. Throwing the other down as hard as he could, the older teen bounced himself off the blond, and was able to finally stand up. Backing up as much as he could, Licht hissed out in pain just as Lawless stood back up and charged him again. Feeling his legs stick to the ground from pain, Licht took the punch that Lawless delivered to his gut. Letting out a gasp, Licht coughed, before grabbing the blond’s wrist, pulling him forward. Throwing himself forward, Licht let go of Lawless’ wrist, before pushing off the blond’s back with his feet, making the other fall face first on the grass. “D-damn…this is starting to get bad…everything hurts…ugh…”

Hearing glass break, Licht turned to see Lawless sitting up, and the lens of his stupid red glasses were cracked and broken. More blood flowed down the blond’s face, and Licht felt his shoulder throbbing. They were seriously more injured than Licht thought, but by the looks of it, Lawless didn’t seem to want to stop fighting. Feeling his knees give out, Licht growled as his body hit the ground, as more blood drained onto the grass. Damn. More of his wounds opened up. Letting out more breathy gasps, Licht held his shoulder tighter, and glared at the blond’s dark eyes. It seemed like he was calming down, but Licht knew otherwise. Staring the other boy down, Lawless felt his body begin to wither down as well. Why was he so angry anyways? It’s not like whatever Licht said matters anyway, so it should be time to stop. Fighting until they bleed to unconsciousness was ridiculous anyways. Standing up as much as he could, Lawless crossed his arms, and loosened his glare to give the panting teen a fake smile.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough I think. Nothing I say or anything we do will make a difference to anything, Lichtan,” Lawless sighed out, crossing his arms. Seeing Licht stop his next attack, and glance at him with a semi confused expression, Lawless grinned, and smiled deviously. If talking was enough to stop the useless fighting, then he would just lie to get them to stop. “I don’t really care anymore! As always, you are amazing. We should just stop before we get hurt anymore, besides, anything I say will obviously not change your mind about how you live your life…. w-what? Why are you laughing?!”

“Don’t make me laugh. How I should live my life? The reason why I have a problem with you is because you make no effort in your own life,” Licht sighed out, smirking out as he noticed Lawless’ face pale lightly as he said the words coming to mind. He was only speaking the truth, and he knew that the blond really needed to hear him. “You cry out and do something that gets yourself into danger, and when you realize that you screwed up, you just put your tail between your legs and give up.”

“N-now Angel…I’m just trying to stop our fighting out of the kindness of my heart…” Lawless stuttered out, feeling the blood draining down his mouth. Damn, did his face getting slammed into the ground cause his wounds to open up more. Smiling uneasily, the blond hid his eyes between his bangs, and tried to reason with himself, and the smirking boy across from him. “You and I are completely different. Polar opposites. W-we should’ve known that getting along wasn’t going to h-happen…”

“Polar Opposites? Sure, we are. But I’ve seen a lot of polar opposites getting along. Something about you, though, I don’t like. When you are put on the spot, you only do things that pisses people off, so you obviously have some sort of fear of getting along with anybody, not to mention you call yourself Lawless, even though you have an actual name,” Licht sighed out, not noticing the way the blond had straightened up and gotten all silent. Lawless continued to stare with a blank expression. “Well, let me tell you Lawless. You are nothing. Just another thing in this whole school. You don’t even want to make something of yourself, and even try to show someone who the real you is. Instead of acting like yourself, you act like something that isn’t unique, something that no one wants to get to know. Not having anyone to be by your side, or not having anyone to be your friend, you have no right to try fix something, ‘out of the kindness of your heart’!”

Lawless took a sudden breath in, before slowly reach up to wipe the blood off his head, and to throw his broken glasses down on the floor. Stopping his talk to notice this, Licht watched as the blond slowly glanced back up at him with dull, lifeless red eyes. There was no expression on the other’s face, and even though it unnerved Licht a little, he knew that he needed to get this out so that Lawless could understand where he was going wrong with his life. If he understood, Licht would be okay with helping him change, even though he was a shitty person to begin with. 

“Having the name Lawless? Stop trying. If you are so ‘Lawless’ then why set yourself on this path and have rules of what you can do and be?” Licht sighed out, putting his hands into his hoodie pocket, waiting for the blond to react. When he didn’t, the teen smirked. He thought Lawless would say something, anything, but it looks like he may have shocked the usually loud blond silent. “Polar opposites? Not getting along? You are using some big words for someone who doesn’t even want to try and put in an effort to try and make a friend!”

Charging at the silent blond, Licht went to getting into a stance to throw a kick, but gasped when Lawless suddenly moved, and grabbed onto his shoulders hard. Feeling his body hit the floor, Licht gasped out in pain as his shoulder gave a giant throb of pain, but soon growled as Lawless kept pulling him back and slamming him back down onto the ground as hard as he could. Reaching up as much as he could, Licht pounded on the screaming blond’s chest as he tried to get him to stop.

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT ME!”

\--------------------------------

_“Ophelia! Where did you go! I know I am supposed to find you, but it’s literally been an hour! O-phe-lia?!” A young Lawless ran around the lightly dimmed forest, looking for his friend. Lawless and Ophelia had been playing a game of hide and seek, and since the light blond girl was always able to find the older blond, it was the boy’s turn to find her. But he was the most lousiest finder ever. Sighing, the boy glanced around some more, feeling a pout start to rise on his lips. How was he supposed to find her if he didn’t even know where to find her?! “Come on Ophelia! Where’d you run off to?!”_

_“L-Lawless?! B-back up a few steps!” Hearing his young friend, Lawless glanced around, obviously confused, but as he did, he heard a tree branch snap, and before he knew it, the blond had an armful of the young girl he was looking for. Feeling the impact, the young boy yelped, and fell on the ground just as he caught her. Getting up lightly, Lawless looked her over, and when they both realized what happened, their laughs entered the air. “Nice catch Lawless! I didn’t feel a thing!”_

_Laughing harder, Lawless took deep breaths to calm himself, before he opened his teary red eyes to smile at her more. Laying back against the grass, Lawless stared up at the blue sky, feeling absolutely happy. Feeling Ophelia moving around, the blond didn’t think too much of it, and just laid still, closing his eyes, enjoying the warmth that the sun was giving him. After a few minutes, Ophelia wiped the small bead of sweat off her forehead, and glanced at the resting blond. Smiling, she placed his special gift down in her lap gently, before leaning over, and delivering several pokes to the boy’s stomach and sides. Feeling the touches, Lawless squeaked, and giggled. Squirming up and laughing more, the blond wrapped his arms around his midriff to keep the ticklish touches at bay, but when something was placed on his head, he opened his tightly closed eyes to see Ophelia placing an orange flower crown on his head._

_“There! Now you look like a Prince!” The girl laughed out, and Lawless felt a blush flutter on his cheeks. Letting a soft smile rise on his face, the boy glanced down at the ground, and Ophelia giggled as the blond became an embarrassed puddle of goo. Watching him stand up, the girl smiled as Lawless held out a hand to her. Taking it, the young girl smiled as Lawless pulled her up. Seeing him offering his back, the girl crossed her arms, but slowly did as he wished. “What are you a horse? You’re supposed to be my Prince, silly Lawless.”_

_“I know, but it’s the least I can do. Don’t wanna make a young girl walk all the way back, am I right?” Lawless asked, glancing back at her with a slight smirk. Huffing lightly, Ophelia flicked him in the forehead, but said nothing. Grinning at his win, the young blond easily wrapped his arms around her legs, and continued their walk back to her home. Once her home was in view, and they got to her front steps, Lawless gently placed her down, and rubbed the back of his head softly. “There we go, my Princess. You’re home, safe and sound.”_

_Smiling softly at the embarrassed blond, Ophelia grinned, before leaning over to pat him on the head. Feeling the pat, Lawless glanced up, and froze as she placed a soft kiss on his rosy cheek. Swallowing the lump in his throat, the young boy waved goodbye to his friend, and watched her enter the house. Once the door shut, the blond grinned happily, and began his run back to his own house. Once he was there, he opened the front door, and ran passed his older sister, who rubbed his hair affectionately, before continuing her way towards their living room. Running up the stairs, the blond ran passed Jeje, who was caring a young, sleeping Lilly. Slowing to a quieter step, the blond pressed a small kiss to the sleeping baby’s head, before continuing his way towards his room. However, when he passed Sleepy Ash, he stopped all together, and gave his older brother the brightest smile he could muster._

_“SLEEPY ASH! I had the greatest time ever with Ophelia today!” the blond yelled, wrapping his arms around the quiet kid’s waist. Sleepy Ash winced slightly, and Lawless froze. Glancing up at his older brother’s face, the blond noticed a small look of pain fly through his face before it disappeared, and the older boy gave him a pat on the head with a small smile. Smiling back, Lawless rubbed his face more into the other’s stomach, before letting him go, and running for his room again. “Okay! I’m going to sleep now! Goodnight brother!”_

_Not waiting for an answer, the young blond ran to his room, opened the door, and slammed it shut. Jumping onto his bed, Lawless stripped his clothes off, and tugged on a long shirt that he knew didn’t belong to him. Glancing down at the shirt, Lawless grinned as he noticed the black cat on it. It was obviously Kuro’s t-shirt, but that made it better. Climbing back onto his bed, the young boy curled up under his covers, and slowly closed his eyes. He wanted to get to sleep so it would be the next day already, and he could play with Ophelia again. Feeling the blush rise on his face again. Lawless buried his face more into his pillow, and allowed sleep to take him._

_As Lawless heard someone call him, the boy opened his eyes softly, and glanced around. Morning already? Pushing the covers off his body, the young blond bounced off the bed, and ran out of his room with a huge smile covering his face. Running down the stairs, the young boy ran passed WH and Hugh, and up to the table where Sleepy Ash and Mother were waiting. Jumping on the chair, the young boy thanked his sister for the bowl of cereal, and scoffed it down. Hearing the laugh from Lilly, Lawless made funny faces at the baby, who kept on giggling, and then glanced at his eldest brother. The other was more quiet then he had ever seen him before. Furrowing his brow, Lawless finished his bowl, and slunk off the seat. Placing the bowl in the sink the best he could, the young blond ran up to Lilly, giving him a kiss on the head, before running up to Kuro, and wrapping his arms around him._

_“Big brother! Can you pick out my clothes for today?! I can’t decide what I wanna wear!” Lawless asked, grinning up at the older child with sparkling red eyes. Seeing the similar red eyes looking at him for a second, the boy though Sleepy Ash would say no, the smile almost left his face, but when he was carefully picked up, and carried up towards his room, Lawless wrapped his arms around Sleep Ash’s neck, and cuddled his face into his chest. Once they were in his room, Sleepy Ash placed him down softly, and slowly looked through his clothes. When he picked out a black t-shirt with black jeans and a light green belt, Lawless smiled, and held the clothes to his chest. “Yay! Thank you big brother! I’ll get dressed on my own!”_

_Giggling as Sleepy Ash ruffled his hair, Lawless watched as his older brother left silently, before slipping off his sleeping shirt, and got dressed for the day. Once he was dressed, the blond left the shirt on his floor, before running down the stairs, and towards the front door. Slipping on his shoes, Lawless glanced back towards the house, and nodded._

_“Okay! I’m leaving to play with Ophelia!” he called out, and when Mother poked her head out of the kitchen, the blond waved at her. “Bye!”_

_“Be careful Lawless, and have fun okay?” Mother responded, shaking her finger at him. Seeing the blond nodded excitingly, the girl sighed, but gave him a soft smile. Waving, the purple haired girl watched her younger brother run out the door like the devil was chasing him. “Bye!”_

_Running off his porch, the blond quickly made his way towards the forest, and out of the clearing, running on the familiar path towards his best friend’s house. Jumping over branches, and being careful about tripping, Lawless noticed Ophelia’s house in the distance, and grinned happily. Getting to her house’s clearing, the boy slowed to a stop when he noticed a moving sign out on her front lawn, and when he noticed Ophelia on her front porch, looking a bit distracted, the boy felt his blood run cold. Swallowing the nervous lump in his throat, Lawless slowly walked up to her house, and when Ophelia noticed him, she gave him a small smile, and a little wave. Running up to her Lawless tried to smile at her, but it was shaky._

_“O-Ophelia…what’s going on? Why is there a moving sign out here? Y-you’re not leaving, are you?” he asked shakily, feeling his hands beginning to shake lightly. The thought of losing her was just really unbearable to him. Seeing the boy starting to get shaken up, Ophelia stood up, and gently wrapped her hand around his. Feeling her warm touch, Lawless let out a breath, before glancing at the house again. “P-please tell me it isn’t true! Y-you can’t leave! You can live with me! Then we’ll be able to play every day, and be happy!”_

_“Come on Lawless…we should play before the afternoon bell rings. I promise I’ll tell you more after we play, okay?” the young girl asked, and when the boy stayed quiet, and just nodded, she gave him a soft smile, and pulled him towards their usual play area in the forest. Lawless knew that something was up, but if this was their last play day, then he wanted this to be the best one yet. After possibly three games of hide and seek, and four games of cops and robbers, Lawless froze as the afternoon church bells rung through the air, and when he turned to Ophelia, he saw her slightly sullen face. Hearing two people calling for the young girl, Ophelia glanced towards her house, while the boy felt tears begin to sting his eyes. Glancing back at Lawless, the young girl sighed softly when she noticed tears were starting to flow down his cheeks. “Come on Lawless. Will you bring me back home…one last time?”_

_Sniffling, the blond nodded, and slowly reached for her hand. Wrapping their hands together, Ophelia stayed quiet as Lawless slowly pulled her back to her home, and once they were in front of the house, and the blond saw her parents putting boxes in their car, he froze, and tightened his grip on the other’s hand. It really was happening. He was going to have to say goodbye to his best friend. Glancing at Ophelia, who had moved to his side, the boy whimpered, and she smiled at him sadly. Letting go of her hand, the boy slowly backed away and shook his head._

_“P-please Ophelia…stay w-with me please…I can’t possibly live without you h-here…please s-stay…” Lawless whimpered out, feeling the tears finally flowing down as the quiet sobs left his mouth. Clenching his fists to his side, the blond let his bangs cover his face as he stared at the ground. Hearing Ophelia begin to walk near him, the blond tried to cover up his sobs as he clenched his mouth shut. “P-please listen to me this one time…p-please Ophelia…please.”_

_“Lawless…please don’t cry,” Ophelia sighed out, gently reaching out to cup the crying boy’s cheeks. Watching the boy’s cloudy red eyes open, the young girl smiled softly at him, and rubbed the tears away from his eyes with her thumbs. Shaking his head, more tears fell down his cheeks as he clenched his eyes shut. She was asking for the impossible. Feeling Ophelia pull his face back towards hers, the blond allowed the young girl push their foreheads together as more quiet sobs left his mouth. “I’m sorry Lawless…I know it may seem hard now, but…I can’t live with you. My parents would miss me, and I belong to them. I’m really sorry, please forgive me, okay? I promise I’ll be okay, and I will call you every day and send letters to you as much as possible.”_

_Hearing this, Lawless glanced back up at her, and sniffed. Smiling as she got his attention again, Ophelia pressed another small kiss to his cheeks, before wiping his tears away from his cheeks again. Nodding softly, Lawless watched as her hands fell away from his cheeks again. Hearing her parents call her, the boy stood still and just watched as the girl ran towards his family, and soon climbed in her car. Meeting her eyes one last time, Lawless watched her car drive out of the driveway, and when it disappeared into the forest, he waited five minutes. She was gone…she was really…gone. Not being able to see or hear the car again, Lawless fell to his knees, and broke down into heavy sobs. Curling in on himself in the grass, the blond cried as hard as he could as his body shook hard from all his crying._

_“Lawless? Where are you? It’s late enough! Lawless?” someone called, and the blond slowly sat up to see his older sister walking out of the forest, and towards him. Noticing the boy, Mother smiled, but soon gasped as she took in his condition. Running over to him, the older girl fell to her knees, and brought the upset child into her arms. Lawless put his face in her chest, and sobbed harder and harder. “Shhh…Lawless calm down, and breathe for me. Come on. Breathe. I need you to calm down. Shhhh.”_

_“O-Ophelia’s gone! She moved! S-she’s gone Mother! G-gone!” the boy sobbed, clenching the older girl’s shirt in his fists. Freezing lightly, Mother glanced at the place where Lawless’ best friend once lived, and back down at the upset child. Picking him up, the older sister hugged the crying blond closer to her, and began to walk back to their home. Opening his eyes, the blond laid limply against his sister’s warm body, and just watched as Ophelia’s old house got further away. Once they were back to the house, Mother placed Lawless down, who was still sniffling, and walked them in the house. “S-Sleepy Ash! B-Big brother! I need you! Brother!”_

_Feeling her eyes widen lightly, Mother just watched as Lawless bounded up the stairs, and bolt towards their older brother’s room. Once the young blond got there, and threw the door opened, he froze as the whole room was silent, and empty. Sleepy Ash was not in bed, like usual, glancing around the room fast, the boy quickly ran around the upstairs, and then ran down the stairs to look for his dear older brother. Not seeing him anywhere, Lawless stopped in the middle of the living room, and felt his heart stop. Seeing Jeje, the blond sniffed, and watched as his older brother stopped in front of him._

_“Brother is gone,” the quiet boy said, watching the blond’s eyes fade slightly. Glancing around more, Lawless ran towards their closet, and threw it open. Seeing Sleepy Ash’s coat and boots gone, the blond felt his breath becoming short. Running back towards the entrance of their home, the young boy threw open the door, and ran out on the porch. Letting his eyes survey the forest around him, Lawless screamed for his older brother at the top of his lungs. “Lawless…he left. He’s not coming back…ever.”_

_“N-no…he can’t…I…n-no!” Lawless cried out, feeling his breath leave him more as what Jeje said spun through his small mind. Shaking his head, and panting lightly, the blond quickly ran off the porch, and back into the forest. The other couldn’t have gotten far! Running around the dark forest for ten minutes, the blond felt his small legs give out, and he fell onto the ground. Feeling his chest getting tighter and tighter, Lawless sobbed out silent cries, and tried to get his shaky breath back. Clenching his fists to his chest, Lawless screamed at the top of his lungs. “SLEEPY ASH! B-BROTHER! P-PLEASE COME BACK! I NEED Y-YOU! P-PLEASE!!!!”_

_Letting out more screams, the blond slowly grew tired, and felt his body finally giving way to his cries and whimpers. Finally getting his breath back, the young blond slowly sat back up, and glanced around tiredly. He needed to see Sleepy Ash, but sitting out here in the dark was not getting him anywhere…besides…the others may be worried about him. Shakenly getting up, Lawless slowly treaded on back to his house, and as he finally got home and up the porch, the young blond sighed, before opening the door. Hearing a news cast being played on the TV, Lawless toed off his shoes, and slowly walked into the living room where Hugh and Mother were staring at the TV with shocked eyes, and when they noticed Lawless, Mother tried to stand in front of the TV, but the blond still saw and heard it._

_“BREAKING NEWS! WE ARE AT THE SCENE OF A DEADLY CRASH. A FAMILY AND THE OTHER DRIVER WERE SADLY KILLED ON IMPACT.”_

_Glancing at the television, Lawless froze as Ophelia and her parent’s pictures suddenly flashed on the screen. Feeling his eyes widen, and his whole body run cold, all the blond could see is Ophelia’s car still on fire before the device was turned off, and Mother was now in front of him, holding his shoulders tightly. Staring her dead in the eyes, Lawless felt something snap in him, and he quickly shoved her off, and darted up to his room. Mother went to chase him, but Hugh stopped her and shook his head. They knew that Lawless needed to be alone…even though she didn’t like the idea that much. As the blond ran up to his room, he let out the most loudest scream ever, and slammed his door shut. Standing in his room panting, the blond glared at everything, and starts screaming again. Running to his bed, the young boy pulls everything off it, throwing it across the room, knocking everything off his dressers, and nightstand, and by the time that Jeje and Mother got in the room and wrapped their arms around him, the blond had completely wrecked his whole room as his anger ran heavily through his veins._

\-------------------------

“IT’S THANKS TO BROTHER THAT I ENDED UP THIS WAY!” the blond yelled, as he pounded the injured boy against the grass harder and harder. Wincing slightly as his head smacked the ground, Licht groaned, but soon sneered, and wrapped his legs around the raging blond’s waist. Squeezing as harder as he could, Licht grabbed the ripped shirt against Lawless’ chest, and used all his momentum to flip them. Pinning the thrashing other on his back, Licht grabbed Lawless’ punching wrists, and immobilized him completely. “IT’S NOT LIKE I WANTED TO BE THIS WAY! I-IT’S NOT M-MY FAULT!”

“SHITTY RAT! Shut up, why don’t you?! You really are pathetic!” Licht growled out, head butting the still screaming blond hard enough to stop his screaming. Groaning from the head butt, Lawless blinked out of his rage, and blinked out of his angry daze. Feeling the blond’s body shaking lightly under his hold, and when he was suddenly turned over again, and his back was on the ground again, Licht winced as he expected hits, but when none came, he continued on yelling at the now quiet blond. “I won’t take back what I said, Shitty Rat. You really need to listen to me! You may be the most useless person in the world, you may think that try to block everyone out, and you may be the most Debby-downer I have ever got to share a room with. You may be nameless, you may be dumb enough not to tell me your true feelings, or even try to hide them from me. But, you do have me in your life, Lawless. You think you’re alone, and because of that, you act like an ass that no one wants to be around.”

“Y-your…my friend…?” Lawless asked out, and Licht sighed when he heard the blond’s voice shake. Reaching out, the pinned teen gently punched the blond’s chest. Feeling the warmth coming from Licht’s hand, Lawless glanced down at it with teary red eyes, before glancing back up at the other’s cold blue eyes. There was still anger in them, but there was also a cold desperation to get him to understand something. “I…I don’t know what you mean Licht…I…”

“To be Lawless, it’s means to do whatever you want to. Why did you even give yourself that name when it doesn’t even fit you? And for god’s sake stop whimpering, you sound like a dumb dog!” Licht growled, kicking the blond’s legs out from under him, the teen gave out a huff of shock as Lawless fell. Landing on the other’s chest, the blond felt his eyes widen, but soon the teen started to hum something. Listening carefully over his heavy breathing and slight whimpers, Lawless realized it was one of the other’s songs he would play on his piano. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Lawless clenched Licht’s ripped hoodie in both fists, before closing his eyes hard. This song was too sad and brought back too much memories of his past…no…he did not want to hear his hums. “Listen up Shitty Rat. I know you think the song I am humming is sad, but it’s not the song that is sad, it’s you. You are the one that is sad. You can’t keep dwelling on the past. Yes, you lost your best friend, yes you had abandonment issues, and hate your brother for it. But it’s been years now, and your brother is, I’m guessing showing up again? If you don’t like how things are now, change them. You have to realize that she would not want you to be this way, right? What would she do if she saw you the way you are now? What about your older brother? Don’t you want to know what happened?”

“S-she would probably hit me,” Lawless sniffled out, laughing lightly. Hearing the small laugh the blond let out, Licht let his body relax. Lawless was still shaking from held in emotion, but now he was laughing. Opening his eyes lightly, the blond slowly released his tight grip in the other’s clothing as his mind processed what he would say about his brother. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Lawless closed his eyes again, and took a shaky breath in. “A-and my brother…I want to know why he left…and why he did what he did…I want to know everything…I want to get passed Ophelia’s death, I want to clear things up with my brother, I want to be myself! I want to have friends! I want to start living my life with regrets! I want…I want…to k-know where my b-brother went…I want…I…L-Licht….”

Hearing the blond start to emotional again, Licht sighed, before wrapped his arm around the teen’s shoulder, and pressing the other into his neck. Feelings the teen’s shaky breath, the injured teen rubbed his fingers through the blond’s hair, and began to hum again. Letting out light sobs, Lawless pulled away from Licht’s chest, and looked over the teen. All the anger was gone from his eyes, and now he was staring expectantly up at him. Seeing the small smirk rising on Licht’s face, Lawless blinked, before wiping the tears from his eyes. He knows what he wants to do now. He doesn’t want it to end here, he wants to talk to his brother and tell him how he feels, he wants to make Ophelia proud of him wherever she is, he wants…he wants…he wants to get Licht out of here so that they can try again. He wants to make everything right now!

“Hyde…do you know what you want to do now? Are you ready to take responsibility and reach for your needs with everything you got?” Licht questioned, and when Hyde glanced at him when he said his real name, the older teen noticed the determined spark the other had in his red eyes. Noticing Hyde getting off of him, and hold his hand out, Licht reached his good arm out, and allowed the annoying rat help him up. Putting his hand on the other’s blond hair again, Licht nodded his head. “From that look, I can tell just fine, Hyde.”

“I want to do a lot of things…but we need to get out of here first. How about we try to make it out of the forest first though?” the blond sighed out, glancing up at the sky as some rain drops fell on them. Nodding, Licht went to say something, but the smell of cigarette smoke stopped him. Seeing the teen’s eyes narrow, and the grimace rise on his face, Hyde turned around to see a person with long red hair, watching them while smoking. Blinking, the blond cocked his head to the side, and pointed at him. “Who’s the hippie?”

“So, this is where all the screaming I’ve heard came from! Hey Licht. I see that you and your pet troublemaker got out of your bindings. Sorry, but this, ‘hippie’ needs to beat you again. And to answer the dumb blond, I am Higan, once of Tsubaki’s friends, and it’s my job to keep you here. Nice to meet you.”


	10. Never Give Up!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait on an update. I wasn't feeling very motivated to write at all. But it's here now! I really hope you guys love it! And thanks for sticking with me on this!

“Hey…wait a minute, I recognize him,” Hyde mumbled, squinting his eyes to look over Higan. He looked a lot different since he was in his street clothes, but the blond was sure that he was who he knew he was. Seeing the confused expression of Licht, the blond gritted his teeth, and slowly glanced back towards the smiling red headed male. Seeing the man bring out a cigarette and try to light it in the rain, Hyde’s thoughts were finally confirmed. “That’s Mr. Higan. He’s the substitute art teacher! I know because some of the art students who help us with the stage art mentioned him before!”

“Ohoho, so you heard of me? Hmm…sad that no one mentioned you to me. Must not be a very good actor, huh?” Higan asked, and laughed when Hyde let out a gasp, and tensed his fists. Rolling his eyes at the two arguing, Licht kicked the blond’s ass enough to make the other stop, and groan. Glancing at the attacker, Hyde glared at him, but when he noticed Licht was staring at Higan with a look of anger and anticipation, he frowned. Seeing the look the musical teen was giving him, the older man smiled more, before crossing his arms. “By the look Licht is giving me, I feel like you two aren’t going to listen to me. So, I guess we’re going to have to do this the hard way, hm? Fine by me.”

Feeling Licht try to walk forward, but stagger, Hyde quickly reached out, and gently wrapped his hand around the teen’s wrist. Noticing this, Licht turned to stare at the blond, but blinked when he saw how tense Hyde was. Blinking, Licht observed the way the mysterious red eyes seemed to zone in on the old man. Did something happen to make Hyde like this? Pulling his arm away from the blond’s grip, Licht growled, before facing Higan yet again, who was still giving them that irritating smirk of his. 

“Licht don’t! You’re staggering and hurt! If you try to even fight this, something bad can happen!” Hyde yelped out, trying to reach out again, and stop the persistent teen. Turning around, Licht glared lightly at the blond, and sneered. This was not right, ever since they finally got passed what Hyde went though, the blond suddenly cares about his well-being and how he lives his life? “Licht?”

“Don’t talk to me about not fighting! What are you, scared?” Licht growled out, noticing the way the other’s body tensed lightly, while his red eyes squinted in offense. He was most definitely not scared, he was just worried. Licht was literally bleeding, and he was pretty sure the other teen had a broken or sprained shoulder. If anything happened, those two things could get worse, and Hyde didn’t really want to drag a half dead teen to the hospital. Tensing his fists, Hyde turned his eyes away from Licht’s so that he could glare at Higan from behind the other’s shoulder. “Well Hyde? Do you want to fight for your life, or just give it all away to this hippie?” 

Biting his lip, Hyde felt a smirk start to rise on his lips. Seeing the smirk rise, Licht grinned, before turning back around to face the smoking red head. Noticing the way the two teen’s expressions hardened, Higan sighed, before scratching the side of his head. He should be able to at least slow them down since they were both hurt already, but when he heard a scoff, the older man sighed as yet another argument about who went first started. Having enough, the older man clapped his hands, and smirked when he got Hyde and Licht’s attentions.

“Enough with the arguing boys, how about we get this over with, I have somewhere to be,” the older man sighed, and when he noticed the way the teens’ bodies began to tense into a fighting position That’s better. The faster he got those two down, the faster he could return to Tsubaki and just relax for once. Rubbing the back of his head again, Higan reached behind him, and pulled out a few things from his carrier bag. Seeing the movement, Licht narrowed his eyes, and Hyde slowly shifted in front of Licht a bit more. What was Higan thinking about using? Glancing at each other, Licht and Hyde nodded, before running at the red head with all they had. “There we go, let’s make this fast.”

“Let’s go Hyde,” Licht growled out, and when the two separated and tried to go past Higan, the red head smirked, and pulled out a couple of items. Opening his eyes wide, Hyde noticed that the older man had a dark red switch blade in his mouth, while his hands were holding some kind of water balloons. Observing the blade, the blond noticed that it had steam coming off of it…was that thing on fire?! Noticing the look on Hyde’s face, Licht growled, before increasing his run, and when the burning blade was aimed at Licht, the blond quickly ran behind him, and pulled him back by his hoodie. Hissing at the feeling of his face being slashed and burned, Hyde winced, before successfully pulling Licht back. “Hyde! What the hell…wait, you’re bleeding…and why is your face really red?”

“O-ow…that blade…it’s burning really hot…don’t let it touch you Licht,” Hyde groaned out, rubbing at the bloody slash on his face. Feeling Licht bend down next to him, the blond hissed again as the other palmed his face, and looked at the wound. Wiping the blood away from the blond’s face with his thumb, Licht sighed, before glancing back at Higan, who now had the most darkest smile on his face. What in the world was wrong with him? It looked like he enjoyed hurting someone. Turning his attention back to Hyde, Licht noticed that the cut on his face had stopped bleeding, but the burn still looked really painful. “I-I’m okay Licht. Just please be careful, and try to avoid his blade…ugh…”

Still keeping his hand on the burn, Licht glared at Higan, who looked ready to run at them again. Trying not to get distracted about how cool Licht’s hand felt on the burn, Hyde gently weaved their hands together again, and slowly stood up. Swallowing at the touch, Licht shook his head, before hearing Hyde’s gasp. Turning his attention at Higan, the dark-haired teen felt his eyes widen as he noticed Higan was running at them with that odd deranged look in his eyes, and his hands raising with those odd balloons. Feeling his legs tremble, Licht cursed himself as his body refused to move, and right when Higan was about to slash him, the other teen gasped as his body was spun out of the way, and an arm went across his waist as they spun.

“What?!” Licht yelped, and when he focused on Hyde, the teen smirked as Hyde hung onto him with skill. Slowing their spins to a stop, the blond smiled down at the slightly shocked shine in the cold blue eyes of his friend. Seeing the smirk on the blond’s face, Licht grinned, before nodding. He already knew what the other wanted to do, and using that tango class Licht’s uncle forced him to take, Licht knew that Hyde was confident with his skills. Hearing another round of running steps, the two turned their attention to Higan, who was coming back towards them, and when Licht’s hand around Hyde’s shoulder tensed, the blond took a deep breath in, and quickly moved his hands to Licht’s. “Now Hyde!”

“Okay!” Hyde yelled, spinning Licht out of the way yet again, but this time, the blond heaved the other into the air, and Licht let his one leg out. Feeling another slash from Higan’s blade on his arm, Hyde gritted his teeth and held on tight to Licht, and just as Higan passed them, the blond spun them around faster, and Licht’s spinning kick got more strength. Turning around to attack again, Higan was not prepared to take a fast spinning kick to the face by Licht’s boot. Seeing the other’s body fly backwards, and hearing his back hit the ground, Hyde grinned, while Licht scoffed out a laugh. Slowing Licht down, the blond made sure the other was sturdy on his legs, before letting go of him. Feeling his shoulder protest, Licht let out a small groaned, and grabbed it gently, while Hyde pressed his hand to the deep bleeding slash Higan had left on his shoulder. “God…if this continues any longer Licht, we both might need a hospital.”

Hearing a gasp of breath, and a slight moan of pain, the two perked up, and quickly looked at Higan, who was now getting up, panting for breath. Rubbing the back of his head, Higan winced at the pain in his back, and sighed. That hit was harder then he thought it would be. Letting his red eyes lock on the others, he smirked when he noticed them cradling their injuries. If he held on a bit longer, they would be done with. Holding the odd balloons in his palms a bit harder, Higan stood back up, and cracked his neck. Taking a deep breath, the red head quickly ran at the injured teens again, and when he noticed Hyde reach out for Licht again, he grinned. They were gonna try to do the same move again, but this time, Higan was prepared for this. Ducking under the slightly slower spinning kick, Higan jumped in front of Licht, and smashed one of the odd balloons in the teen’s face. 

“Shit!” Licht cursed, and Hyde gasped, tugging Licht away from Higan as fast as he could. Wrapping his arms around the limp teen’s waist, Hyde pulled the other up, and shakily put a wide margin away from Higan. Setting Licht down and falling next to him, the blond glanced at Higan, who was digging through his bag again, before looking down at Licht, who was rubbing his eyes, and hissing out curses. Noticing a slight dark red mist in the air, Hyde blinked, before realizing it was dry paint. Glancing back down at his friend quickly, the blond pulled Licht’s hand away from his face, and saw dry blood red paint dust covering his eyes, making him not being able to open them. “Shit Hyde. What is this?! Why can’t I see? What’s happening?”

“Licht! Be quiet so I can get this off!” Hyde cussed out, pulling his shirt’s sleeve up and gently wiping at the teen’s face. Noticing the paint coming off slowly, Hyde grinned, but felt the grin drop as the zipper of Higan’s bag sounded in the air. Facing the red head again, Hyde felt his blood freeze as he saw more of those dry paint balloons in the other’s hands, and this time, they were bigger. Swallowing another curse, Hyde quickly tried to move more in front Licht, trying to protect him, while rubbing more and more of the stupid paint away from his eyes. Hearing the other laugh, and the sound of footsteps coming closer to them, Hyde growled, and pulled Licht closer to him, who was desperately trying to get his eyes to open. “Hold on Licht! Almost done!”

\--------------------------------------------------

“Hold on Lilly, let me wrap you up really fast…hold still because we both know I am not very good at this,” Misono sighed out, looking over the bloody slashes on Lilly’s shoulders and arms. After Sakuya had left them, Misono quickly ran forward, and grabbed the medical kit the other left them, before tending to Lilly’s injures. Hearing another whimper come from the older blond as he sprayed more alcohol spray on his wounds, Misono winced, before quickly wrapped the more major spots with bandages. After a few bad attempts, the smaller teen sighed as the bandages stuck better, and he figured he was done. “There. I think they’ll stick. Just be careful, okay? We need to get to Tetsu and Hugh, are you able to get up?”

“Yeah, I think I’m okay,” Lilly sighed, slowly staggering up. Seeing the other’s legs shaking, Misono bit his lip. It was obvious that the other didn’t have much strength left. If they didn’t find the others fast, he knew that Lilly wasn’t going to keep going long. Noticing the look of worry on Misono’s face, Lilly gave him a small smile, and patted his head. Shaking the hand away from him, the younger teen gave him a soft glare, but didn’t say anything else. “Come on, big brother and Tetsu may be in danger. Let’s go. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

Nodding slightly, Misono slowly watched as Lilly limped forward, before following the older teen. Walking through the marshy lands, the two teens kept their eyes and ears opened, listening for any sign of someone sneaking up at them, but as they got closer to Tetsu’s location, the sounds of fighting didn’t reach their ears. Stepping into the clearing, the two glanced around and noticed Tetsu was in the middle of it, with three teens at the end of it, holding weapons. Letting out a gasp, Misono walked forward a bit more, and Lilly felt his eyes widen as he took in the way the taller blond had a severely injured Hugh on his back. Hearing footsteps behind him, Tetsu turned around quickly, but when he saw Misono and Lilly, he relaxed a bit, and gave them a worried frown. Taking in Hugh’s body, Lilly whimpered as there were slash marks all over his face, down his shoulders and arms, a few deep cuts on his midsection and legs, and not to mention the older brother was unconscious. Swallowing at the sight of Lilly’s older brother, Misono feels his body freeze as he took in the three teens at the end of the clearing. 

“L-Lilly…” Misono whispered, and when Lilly turned his attention to the other teens, he felt his body freeze as well. They had no injures on them, and by the looks of some of them, they weren’t done with what they started. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Misono glanced at Testu, who was glaring at them with so much hatred, and cursed. He had no idea what to do. It was three against three, but with Lilly injured, and Tetsu holding an unconscious Hugh, he knew they wouldn’t stand a chance. What was he going to do? Taking in the teens again, Misono looked at the girl and the two boys. All their weapons had drying blood on them, and he knew that it had to be Hugh’s. Feeling a body move closer to his, Misono glances at Tetsu, who was observing him. “…is he okay?”

“I don’t know…he was knocked unconscious fifteen minutes ago, and hasn’t shown any signs of waking up…what do we do Misono?” Tetsu asked, holding Hugh more closer to him, despite the feeling of blood leaking into his own clothes. Misono swallowed the lump in his throat, as he heard the cackle of one of teens. If he didn’t think of anything quickly, the one with the large machete like blades was going to lose patience and attack them. Feeling his mind draw a blank, Misono glanced around the area for any idea of what to do, but when nothing came to mind, he cursed. Noticing this, Tetsu knew that Misono was having trouble. “Misono…it’s okay. Just calm down, and think. I don’t think we can take them on…should we run?”

Gritting his teeth, Misono glanced at Testu again, before looking back at Lilly, who’s legs were shaking even more. Should they try and run? But what about Lawless and Licht? And would Lilly’s legs really hold up the running? Tensing his fists, Misono cursed himself for being so weak, and just as he was about to mutter something about retreating, and running for their lives, the teen glanced up in shock just as Tetsu let out a warning growl, and the sound of running footsteps were making their way closer to them. Glancing at the three armed teens, Misono realized it was them running, so…who was? Lilly listened as the pounding steps sounded closer, and when all three of them turned around to face the entrance of the clearing, Misono gasped as he took in the two teens. 

“Are you guys okay? Sorry we’re late!” Someone yelled, and the teen’s felt relieved smiles begin to rise on their faces as they realized who were running towards them. It was Mahiru, and Kuro! Misono blinked hard, and rubbed his eyes. Was this real? Were they back? Hearing the brunet panting to catch his back, Misono stared into the shining hazel eyes, before feeling his body relax. This was real. They’re back. Kuro sighed, before glancing at the three armed teens, who looked shocked to see him. Well…at least two were, the girl just looked sort of…bored. Turning his eyes to Hugh, Kuro felt his anger rise as he took in his brother’s condition. Glancing at Lilly, and noticing his wounds, Kuro growled. Feeling a hand wrap around his, Kuro paused, and glanced over at Mahiru, who was giving him a small, yet worried smile. “Sorry guys. It took a while to find this place. I hope we’re not too late to help. Right Kuro?”

Turning his attention to the three teens, Mahiru frowned, before walking with Kuro around the others so that they were behind him. Standing side by side, Mahiru glanced at the older teen, who was staring at them with anger. They hurt his family, and if he didn’t protect them, who else would? Already knowing what Kuro was thinking, Mahiru smiled, before glancing back at them. If they wanted to fight, he guessed it would simple just to do what they wanted. Besides, he wasn’t alone this time.

\---------------------------------------

“Tsubaki! Where are you? Sleepy-Ash apparently appeared, he’s at the west clearing with Belkia and the others!” Sakuya yelled into his phone, as he observed the slight stand off from a tree a little ways away from the clearing. Hearing the laughter on the out end of the phone, Sakuya fought the urge to hang up, before growling. “This is no laughing matter! Get over there before something happens!”

“Ah…not interesting at all…but fine.”

\---------------------------

“Shit…it’s Sleepy-Ash…” Belkia cursed out, raising his machete blades a bit more. Shamrock felt his body freeze up a bit. Tsubaki didn’t give them any instructions about what to do if the eldest brother showed up. Tensing his fist around his small switch blade, Shamrock cursed before glancing at the other two. Belkia looked a bit unnerved, but Otogiri was looking at her phone. Blinking at that, Shamrock growled, before turning his attention back at the two teens who were looking at them with some kind of protectiveness anger. Suddenly seeing a phone being shoved into his face, Shamrock yelped, but slowly read a text from Sakuya, saying Tsubaki was on his way. “He’s on his way, so let’s just do our best to hold these idiots back!”

Nodding at what Belkia said, Shamrock let out a sigh, before raising his blade more, and noticing Otogiri grab her own weapons a bit harder. Shifting closer to Mahiru a bit, Kuro tensed his body up a bit, before jumping a little as a scream echoed around the area. Glancing up at the sky in confusion, Mahiru met Kuro’s eyes, and saw a slight twinge of fear in his red eyes. Kuro was hoping it wasn’t who he thought it was who screamed. Shaking his head, Kuro took a deep breath, and tightened his hand around Mahiru’s. Knowing what Kuro was feeling, Mahiru sighed. He wanted to make this fast, so that they could find Licht and Lawless. Tensing up a bit as Belkia began to spin his blades around fast, Mahiru swallows the lump in his throat, and began to get himself ready.

“M-Misono…is it more, or did the air around us get tense?” Tetsu asked, as the teen’s watched Mahiru’s feet start to twitch a bit. Swallowing, Misono took a deep breath and nodded. The air was tense. It felt so heavy that you could literally cut it with a blade. Feeling Lilly slide down, Misono glanced back at the blond, and saw him resting on the ground. Just like he thought, Lilly couldn’t fight anymore. Shifting closer to the blond, Tetsu and Misono just held their breaths, and kept an eye on the two standing teens. “I wonder what they’re going to do.”

Feeling Mahiru start forward, Kuro let go of his hand as he watched the brunet run towards Otogiri first, who brought out these huge ass needles. Seeing them shine in the light, Mahiru quickly evaded the thrown needles, but cartwheeling out of the way. Gaining some momentum, Mahiru grinned as he realized this was the lightest he has ever felt on his feet, as he did a flip over another round of throwing needles, and as his body spun over Otogiri, the girl gasped as Mahiru disappeared out of her vision, just as Kuro appeared in front of her. When did he move?! She was so distracted by Mahiru’s movements that she completely missed Kuro running at her. Trying to jump back, the girl froze as she felt a presence behind her, and when hands wrapped around wrists and something tight embolized her hands, she turned her head, and noticed handcuffs. Losing her balance, Otogiri winced as her body was about to hit the ground, but as she fell into warm arms, she opened her eyes, and watched as Kuro placed her far away from Belkia and Shamrock.

“Trust me, the last thing we want to do is hurt you, so just stay here,” Mahiru sighed at her, before turning around to face the other two, who were now running at them. Grabbing onto Mahiru’s hand, Kuro tugged him around just as a machete was thrown near his face. Taking huge steps back away from the two, Mahiru blinked, while Kuro growled. Picking up the discarded machete, Belkia grinned at them, while Shamrock slowly walked behind them. Pressing their backs together, Mahiru stared at Shamrock, while Kuro watched Belkia. Watching the two move in sync around each other, Tetsu and Misono suddenly realized that, in some way, they were doing a dance. Getting closer together, Mahiru relaxed his body against Kuro’s, and let out a small breath. “Kuro…the blond is heading towards you now. I think you’re their target or something.”

“Man, what a pain...but okay,” Kuro whispered, and just as Mahiru said, the older teen watched as the armed others ran at him. Seeing them try to slash him at the same time, Kuro sighed, before running towards them as well, and when he was close enough, the older teen suddenly slid on the ground, right between his legs. Quickly reaching out as he slid under them, Kuro grabbed the two teens’ pants legs, and grinned slightly as both of them fell face first on the ground. Quickly bouncing back up, and reach out towards Mahiru, who is running at him. “Now Mahiru, jump and throw them now!”

Nodding, Mahiru did a few front flips so that his body got enough momentum, and right as he was high enough in the air to see the teens clothing, the boy threw some sort of needle like objects towards them. Seeing the objects being thrown, Shamrock and Belkia yelp, but freeze as the strange needle like objects pin their clothes to the ground, so that they were now pinned. Struggling against the objects the two growled, once they realized that they could not move. Feeling his body falling now, Mahiru tensed up, and slammed his eyes shut. Landing from how high he was, was going to hurt. Just before he hit the ground, Mahiru heard someone run under him, and when arms wrapped around his waist, the younger teen wrapped his arms around the person’s neck, and his free falling stopped. Feeling his body being lowered slowly, the brunet felt his feet touch the ground. Opening his eyes, Mahiru blinked as hazel met red. Glancing down at the hands that were holding his waist, the brunet blushed but slowly leaned more into Kuro, who pressed their foreheads together. 

\--------------------------------

“That was pretty fun you two, but I seriously think we’re done here,” Higan laughed, as he held a slightly unconscious Licht by the collar of his hoodie. Blood dripped down the teen’s arms and legs, pooling beneath him. Staring up at the older male, Hyde laid on the floor, staring at the blurry figure of his friend. Fighting to keep his own consciousness, Hyde suddenly thought about his brother. Closing his eyes slightly, the blond thought about Kuro. Wondering why he left. He seriously didn’t know why he left them, but Hyde wanted to live long enough to ask him. Opening his eyes back up, the blond slowly stumbled up, feeling his legs shake under his weight. He knew he didn’t have a lot of strength to keep going, but he needed to survive! He needed to save Licht, he needed to talk to Kuro. He still had a lot of things he wanted to do, so letting it end here was not going to happen. Noticing the blond standing back up, Higan smirked, before dropping Licht onto the ground. Seeing the other fall hard to the ground, Hyde felt his anger rise, so with a growl the teen threw himself at Higan, who slowly drew up his knee, and smashed it into the blond’s gut. Letting out a gasp at the hit, Hyde hacked up blood, before Higan grabs the back of his shirt, and throws him on the ground. Pressing his shoe to the blond’s head, Higan grinned, and grinded his heel against the other’s head. Spitting out blood, Hyde whimpered at the pain of being stepped on. “How dare you try to attack me, how does it feel to be stepped on, huh?”

Gasping for breath around the blood in his mouth, Hyde felt Higan’s foot leave his head, and watched as the blurry feet shuffled towards Licht, who was still fighting from passing out. Growling again, Hyde hissed as his body struggle to at least kneel up, and when Higan noticed this, he grinned and picked up the limp and bloody teen. Watching the red head pull out his burning blade again, and press it against Licht’s neck, Hyde snarled as the injured teen let out a whine of pain. Tensing his fists into the grass, the blond screams at him, which makes Licht slowly open his eyes and sneer.

“Hyde, shut up! Stop your yelling now! Calm down, I’m not dead yet,” Licht growls quietly, letting his eyes drift towards the now quieting blond, who was staring at him with worried red eyes. Seeing him calming down, Licht let out a breath of pain, before letting his eyes meet the deranged look Higan was giving him. Seeing the blood curdling smile on his face, Licht glared at him. Raising his leg as far as he could for a moment, Licht growled, and slowly wrapped his hands around the arm that was holding onto him. “Let me go you damned demon, or else.”

“Hm? Or else what? Sorry Licht, I don’t think you can even hit me in the condition you’re in, so what are you going to do?” Higan taunted, glaring down at the cold blue eyes, but when something moved at the corner of is eyes, the red head gasped as Licht’s leg spun around, and kicked the side of his head. Wincing, the red head dropped Licht as his vision spun from being round house kicked, and he stumbled back. “Shit, what the hell.”

Seeing his opportunity, Hyde stumbled back up with all his strength, and limped towards Licht. Before his head hit the ground, the blond stumbled forward, and let the other’s head fall in his lap. Wincing at the sharp landing, Hyde bit back a groan of pain, and stared down at the bloody teen, who was looking up at him with a dazed expression. They both did not have enough stamina left to even think about moving. Glancing back up towards Higan, who was holding to his head, and shaking it slightly, Hyde growled. Since Licht was pretty weak, his kick wasn’t hard enough to do much. Feeling the air around them shift, Licht and Hyde slowly observed the way Higan stood back up straighter, and glared at them. Pulling out more paint balloons out of his bag, Higan cracked his neck again, and spit out a bit of blood. Seeing the burning blade being pulled out as well, Hyde tried to pull Licht up a bit, and move away. From the way they were now, the blond knew that they wouldn’t be able to avoid anything anymore. 

“Hyde, focus on us, not him. Help me up, come on, we still have something in us, right? Come on Shitty Rat, stand back up and fight,” Licht growled suddenly, reaching up to grab Hyde’s blood caked blond hair. Feeling the other pull his hair, Hyde yelped, but slowly focused on what Licht said. Nodding hesitantly, Hyde slowly pulled Licht up, being careful about his shoulder, and once they were, once again, both on their feet, the two panted, and stared at the raging Higan. Wrapping his arm around Licht’s waist to keep him up better, Hyde kept his eyes on Higan as he racketed his brain for something to do. Seeing the blond thinking, Licht sighed, and wrapped his arm around Hyde’s shoulder. “Don’t think. Just do what you always do. Don’t worry about my shoulder, just avoid him as much as possible. You have enough strength left to do that, right?”

“Y-yeah, I should. But…are you sure?” Hyde asked, glancing at Licht again. Seeing his determined cold blue eyes watching him, the blond sighed, but nodded. He knew that nothing could change the other’s mind now. Taking a deep breath, Hyde shifted their positions a bit, and when Licht hand was now on his lower back, and his own was on Licht’s upper back, the two knew that they could do this. Higan noticed their positions changing, and growled. How could they still have this much fight left in them?! Letting out a loud scream, Higan began to pelt his paint balls, and when they hit the ground, the whole area around them began to mist up with blood red mist. Pulling Licht against his chest, Hyde heaved another deep breath, and spun them around, expertly avoiding the balloons being pelted at them. Lifting Licht up, Hyde spun around Higan, who ran at them through the mist and avoided another slash from the damn heated blade. “Hold on Licht!”

Pulling Licht harder against him, Hyde continued to spin around Higan’s attempts of slashing them, and blinding them, as a thought entered his mind. Letting his thoughts take him for a second, the blond thought about what they were going to do when they got out of this situation, he thought about Kuro, he thought about what they had to talk about, he thought about his dance classes, and the most important thing that entered his mind, was Licht’s wellbeing. Thinking about all that stuff, Hyde felt his motivation to keep moving begin to rise, and by the way Licht was looking at him, he knew the other boy knew this too. Staring down at Licht again as he put him down, Hyde grinned, and began to spin them faster, making Higan angry since he couldn’t even land a hit on them anymore. Darting at the spinning teens again with his blade out, Higan was not prepared to have them both let go of each other while still spinning, and when he went by them, the red head was suddenly kicked forward when two spinning kicks landed against his back. 

“How was that? Did it hurt?!” Hyde yelled, as they both stopped spinning and watched the red head skid hard against the ground. When the other was far enough away from them, Hyde slowly relaxed, and fell on his ass. Noticing the way Higan wasn’t even trying to get up anymore, the blond grinned tiredly, but soon watched Licht slowly begin to try and walk out of the clearing. “Licht?! Stop and rest for a bit!”

“Come on Hyde. I’m still strong enough to get out of here…” Licht mumbled, but as blood suddenly started leaking down his head, the standing teen felt light headed, and he slowly collapsed to the ground. Hyde yelped, and slowly crawled over to the laying down teen, who was now staring at the cloudy sky. Pulling the teen up a bit more, Hyde pulled them towards a tree that were shield them against the rain, and when Licht was safely resting against the trunk, Hyde sighed, before finally falling next to the other teen. Glancing back up at the sky, the teens noticed the rain was slowly stopping, and little bit of sun was starting to peak out from the clouds. Leaning more against the tree, Hyde lets out a small breath, before pressing their shoulders together. Feeling the touch, Licht allowed it, and slowly watched as more clouds began to move away, leaving little blue patches of a clear sky. “See, ya stupid rat? I told you we would survive…”

“Heh…Licht, I wouldn’t be saying that now. After all, you’re in worst condition then me at the moment,” Hyde snickered out tiredly, watching the blue patches of clear sky begin to appear. Hearing a small snort come from Licht, Hyde grinned, before a comfortable silence filled the air. Staring at the not moving body of Higan, Licht slowly turned his eyes to Hyde’s, which were shining as he observed the sky. The blond seemed to be thinking about something. Feeling eyes on him, Hyde knew that Licht was looking at him. “Say, Licht…you think that if I would’ve fought like I did now, but in the past…do you think that I would be able change Ophelia’s mind about staying?”

“Hyde…nothing was going to change her mind. It wasn’t your fault about what happened to her…it wasn’t even your fault about your brother leaving. I thought we talked about that?” Licht sighed out, letting his eyes travel to the sky as more sun began to shine, showing promise that the rain shower had ended. Nodding softly at what Licht had said, Hyde sighed, and closed his eyes as his mind floated back to the past of playing with Ophelia, and cuddling with Kuro. Noticing Hyde close his eyes, Licht sighed, and leaned more into the blond. “But…if you asked me…that friend of yours? She would be proud of you right now.”

Feeling tears well in his eyes, Hyde sniffled softly, before moving closer to Licht, and burying his face in the other’s shoulder. Letting the blond seek comfort from him, Licht let the blond do this without saying anything. Feeling the tears soak through his hoodie, Licht glanced away from Hyde, and back towards the sky, letting his hand slowly lace their fingers together. Tightening the grip on their hands, Hyde let out a watery laugh, before snuggling more into the silent Licht.

\-----------------------------------------------

“Are you sure this is where you heard the screaming coming from?” Mahiru asked, as the two teens ran around the forest in search of Licht and Lawless. Seeing the older teen nod, the brunet frowned, before they came towards another clearing. Running towards it, Mahiru pushed passed the trees, before noticing the two injured teens against the tree with their hands clutched together. Running towards them, Mahiru stopped halfway as he noticed an unconscious Higan laying on the ground a few feet away from them. “Kuro! I found them! And one of Tsubaki’s friends…I think…”

Hearing Kuro making his way towards him, Mahiru swallowed, and kept his eyes on Higan’s body as he made his way over towards the teens. Noticing Mahiru running towards them, Licht slowly stumbled up, using Hyde’s shoulder to help him stand up. Once he was in front of Licht, Mahiru sighed, and looked over them. The both of them were bloody, and the brunet had no idea how Licht was even standing. Feeling Kuro behind him, Mahiru glanced at the older teen, and noticed him looking at Lawless.

“A little late, aren’t you?” Licht sighed out, limping towards Mahiru. When the teen tripped, the brunet leaned forward, and caught him from falling. Wrapping Licht’s uninjured shoulder around his, and letting his arm wrap around the other’s waist. Holding him up, Mahiru moved them away a bit so that Kuro could look over Lawless some more. Feeling eyes on him, Mahiru glanced at Licht, and the older teen noticed something different shining in the younger teen’s eyes. He looked more…confident and ready to do things. “You look different…that’s good. You look a bit stronger now.”

Blinking at what Licht said, Mahiru smiled a little before glancing back over at Kuro, who was now picking up Hyde, and carrying the injured blond piggyback style. Seeing the blond’s arms wrapped around Kuro’s neck, and his face in the older teen’s back, Mahiru smiled softly. Nodding towards the exit of the clearing, Mahiru gave Higan was last look before the teens helped the injured boys out of the clearing where Misono and the others were waiting with a medical kit. Once they got back there, Mahiru helped Licht sit down, while Kuro held onto Hyde a bit longer. Watching Mahiru wrap and sterilize the other’s deepest wounds, Kuro held the blond closer to him, and peeked over his shoulder to see Hyde awake, but barely aware of what was happening at the moment. 

“There, your wounds are covered, so I think you’ll be fine…I’m not sure what to do about your shoulder though, so I think we need to have the hospital check you out after we get out of here,” Mahiru mumbled, checking over the bandages that covered the teen’s body. Seeing Licht nod, the brunet smiled, before glancing up at Kuro, and nodding at Hyde. Letting Hyde down slowly, Kuro walked away from his brother, and let Mahiru get to work. Once everything was covered, and the brunet got the bleeding to stop, he sighed, and slowly stood up. “There. You’re both fine now. Misono, can I talk to you for a second?”

Watching Mahiru walk towards Misono, the older teen blinked as the brunet pointed to Hyde, who was now awake, and aware things. He knew that they had to talk about things, but it didn’t make things less bothersome. Sighing, Kuro nodded at Mahiru, who smiled at him, and slowly walked back towards Hyde, who was pulling out the grass from the ground. Seeing boots coming towards him, the blond glanced up and felt his eyes widen as Kuro stood in front of him for a second, before sitting down in front of him. Glaring at the older teen, Hyde tenses his fists, and Kuro frowns.

“…Lawless…can we talk for a minute or two? I really owe you an explanation about what happened when we were younger. You don’t have to talk…so just um…let me explain?” Kuro asked, trying to get his words from being unjumbled in his brain. Seeing his brother trying to speak about whatever was on his mind was a bit hilarious, but the blond refused to let his glare leave his face. “I’m sorry about leaving so suddenly. I knew that you were going through a tough time at the moment in the past, and I still acted selfish and left you when you probably needed me the most. I was a rotten brother. I knew I should’ve talked to everyone about what happened, but I couldn’t at the time. I’m sorry about killing dad…but…if I hadn’t, he would’ve…”

Noticing the way Kuro was getting worked up now, Hyde frowned, and let his glare leave his face. Shaking his head, the older teen slowly glanced back up at Hyde, and noticed the glare left his face a little. Blinking, Kuro sighed, and slowly reached out to take the blond’s hand in his. Feeling this, Hyde jumped a little, but didn’t pull away. He wanted to know what Kuro had to say, so if holding his hand helped his brother out, he guessed it would be okay to do so. 

“I guess I should just say…thank you for hating me. Thank you for not forgiving my behavior. You were the only one that still had a grudge on me, and that grudge made me think about what I did wrong…it made me want to change myself for the better…” Kuro whispered out, tightening his hold on their combined hands. Swallowing a sudden lump in his throat, Hyde felt his breath stop in his throat as Kuro looked up at him with warm red eyes. Seeing the heartbroken look on the blond face, Kuro shuffled closer to him. “So…yeah. Thank you…for everything.”

Thinking over what Kuro had said, the blond knew that he didn’t explain everything but…he did apologize. Feeling another round of tears begin to cloud his eyes, Hyde bit his lip, and slammed his eyes shut. So…everything that Licht said…everything that happened to him…it happened to him for a reason. Feeling Kuro move closer to him, Hyde relaxed his legs enough to let his older brother through. Feeling arms wrap around his shoulders, the blond whimpered, before shuffling closer to Kuro’s chest, and burying his face in the other’s warm chest. Wrapping his arms around Kuro’s waist, Hyde leaned completely against him, and let out a choked sob. He knew that they still had a lot to talk about, and that this wouldn’t fix everything immediately, but…now that Kuro was here, holding him. Blushing lightly at the closeness, Kuro ruffled his fingers through Hyde’s hair, and glanced around awkwardly. Once Hyde got himself under control, and Kuro helped him up, the blond noticed Mahiru was watching them with a soft smile.

“U-um…you…what’s your name again? I sort of forgot…” Hyde mumbled, rubbing the back of his head lightly. Mahiru blinked, but smiled at him, before walking over towards the brothers. Once he was in front of Hyde, the brunet smiled at the blushing Kuro, before he glanced back at Hyde. “Hm?”

“I’m Mahiru Shirota,” the brunet laughed lightly, putting his hands on his hips, as he smiled at them. Blinking at the bright smile, Hyde glanced away awkwardly, before glancing down at their shoes.

“Mahiru…thanks…” The blond mumbled, and when the brunet heard the thanks, the smile left his face in shock, before an even brighter smile lit up on his face. Blinking at the smile, Hyde glanced at Kuro, who was looking away with a bright red flush on his face. Wow…these two were really polar opposites, weren’t they? Glancing at Licht, the blond noticed he was watching them with sharp eyes. 

“And what about you Lawless? What’s your name?” Mahiru asked, crossing his arms as he got the other’s attention again. Blinking at the question, it was Hyde’s turn to turn a bright red as even Kuro looked at him with slight interest. Swallowing, the blond glanced around, before trying to evade the question by pretending he didn’t hear the question. “I know you heard me. Come on and tell us. It would be more awkward to find out later then now, right?”

“Oh, no worries, I heard you! I was just wondering why I should tell you, even if it might now stick!” Hyde joked around, but when he got the unimpressed looks from both his brother, and his friend, he groaned, and stomped on the ground. He knew there was no way out of this. “Fine! But don’t laugh! You can call me…Hyde…I guess…”

Seeing the soft smile on Kuro’s face rise a bit, Hyde blinked. Kuro glanced away fast, before he saw the soft expression on his face. Truth is, the older teen remembered that when he was younger, Hyde always used to love having stories read to him. And the name was the name of one of the characters that the blond loved so much when he was younger. Shaking his head, Kuro got brought back from his thoughts as he watched Licht kick Hyde for something he said, while Mahiru let out his bright laughter that always made Kuro’s heart skip a beat. Hearing another round laughter reach the air, Kuro watched as Hyde smiled, and laughed brightly as well. He hasn’t seen that in a long time. All of a sudden, the teens all yelped as a loud sound echoed across the forest, and when they noticed some branches beginning to fall from someone being in the trees. Hearing a blood curdling laugh enter the area, making Hyde shudder, and Kuro get really defensive. Hearing the sounds of footsteps start towards them, the teens turned around, and noticed Tsubaki slowly making his way over towards them, with the most coldest smile they have ever seen in their lives. 

“Well, would you look at this…” Tsubaki mumbles, taking in the scene before him. Glancing around, the teen noticed Kuro, and the other literally felt the air around them get thick with tension. Staring at Kuro with anger filled blood red eyes, Tsubaki let them shift to Hyde, and Lilly, who were now standing defensively. Noticing another one of his brothers, who was still unconscious against Tetsu’s back, the teen grinned, when he noticed how bloody the other looked. Pulling his hand from his pants pocket, Tsubaki took out a blade, which was thinner than the one that Belkia was holding. Meeting Hyde’s eyes, Tsubaki gave him a cold smirk, which made the blond try to back away a lot more. “This is going to be fun!”


End file.
